The Girl From Tomorrow
by Kookykrumbs
Summary: Post X-Men Apocalypse. Scott/Jean fic. In 2016, Jean was killed in a mission gone wrong. It left her husband, Scott and two children devastated. Her daughter tries traveling back in time a month to save her, but instead ends up in 1989. Her very presence threatens the timeline. Can she ensure her parents still end up together? Can she save her mother? Complete!
1. Prologue

**Hello Everyone, just a few things I wanted to mention before I get to the story below. This story takes place in the same timeline as X-Men Apocalypse (the movie). This is a Scott/Jean story. So, for those who don't enjoy that pairing, turn back now. For those who are fans, then welcome and enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men. I do not make any money off them. This is purely a hobby.**

 **Prologue**

 **November 20th, 1990**

Jean Grey watched in horror as her friend Rachel slowly and agonizingly lost the psychic battle she was facing against two enemy telepaths. Rachel was writhing on the ground clutching her head. Jean saw that her nose was bleeding. It was most likely from the strain of the psychic attack as opposed to any physical blow.

Jean subconsciously made a motion to put her fingers at her temple. She was getting ready to jump in and aid her friend when Rachel, with what little strength she could spare, screamed, ** _No, Jean!_ ** in her mind.

** _Why won't you let me help you?!_ ** Jean asked.

** _Just don't! Please don't interfere._ ** Rachel practically begged. Jean couldn't understand it. Rachel had staved off the attack on her own so far, but not for much longer. But the two of them combined, working in tandem, would easily tilt the match in their favor. Jean was beyond baffled.

"Why aren't you helping her, Jean?!" Scott asked, practically demanded, as he ran up beside her. He quickly took a shot at one of the telepaths Rachel was up against, but they were able to put up a psionic shield just in time.

"She won't let me, Scott!" Jean answered.

The battle was intensifying all around them as they watched Rachel face a quickly losing battle. In the corner of Jean's eye, she saw a huge piece of metal hurtling at her and Scott. She had no time to even put up a shield when they were both whisked away from the spot they were standing.

"Watch out guys!" Peter yelled at them both as he whisked them away to safety.

"Thanks, Peter!" Scott yelled at his teammate as he rushed off to help Storm who was taking on the villain Avalanche all by herself.

Jean and Scott ran back to where Rachel was battling Mastermind and Psylocke. Rachel was on her knees, barely able to hold her head up while her enemies were standing above her. Jean tried helping Rachel in the physical world by throwing debris telekinetically at their enemies. But she knew that wasn't enough. Cyclops followed up with some timely blasts. It was meant to at least give Rachel a breather while her enemies were distracted by his and Jean's combined attacks.

They were so focused on the battle at hand that they didn't see the incoming wave of fire thrown at them from behind by Pyro. Jean was just able to shield them from the worst of it. Cyclops aimed an accurate shot at him from the ground which threw Pyro back twenty feet. That took care of him.

Jean looked back at Rachel, torn between wanting to help, and respecting her friend's wish to go at it alone. But she could see that Rachel was breaking. She had mere moments left. She could die on the astral plane. She was not going to allow that to happen.

** _I'm sorry, Rachel._ ** Jean said as she joined the psychic battle.

** _No, stay out!_ ** Rachel pleaded, practically begged. She erected walls around her mind that kept Jean out for merely a few seconds. The effort Rachel was exerting in the battle was too much to keep a telepath as powerful as Jean out.

The physical world around her disappeared the moment Jean was able to break through into Rachel's mind. A flash of blinding light greeted her and what she saw brought her to her knees. She could feel Scott's arms hold her steady in the physical world which at that moment felt so far away. Faster than the speed of thought, Jean understood everything. It was like lost pieces of a puzzle all just fell into place. She saw, in thousands, if not millions of fragmented images and memories what Rachel was desperate to hide from everyone…

Rachel was her daughter.


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Again, I don't own the X-Men (if I did the comic books wouldn't be such a mess), I don't make money off them, I just play with them.**

 **Chapter 1**

 **November 27th, 2016**

 **Westchester County, New York**

There were black umbrellas everywhere. Everyone around her was in black. Black was how she felt inside. In her world, once illuminated by joy and light, everything was black.

She stood outside St. Stephen's cathedral. The rain was coming down on her and all around her. She didn't know if the weather was supposed to be like this or if her Aunt Ororo was expressing her own grief. It didn't really matter. It was fitting.

She watched with a heavy heart as the hearse carried the coffin holding her beloved mother away. Her father stood by the church doors, shaking Father Hughes' hand. Her younger brother, Nathan stood by his side, eyes red-rimmed, but just like their father, he wouldn't let the tears fall.

She looked at her father again. To a stranger, it would seem that Scott Summers was holding up quite well. His glasses did a fine job of hiding his eyes. But she knew better. Like her mother, she was a telepath. And like her mother, she knew how everyone felt. She would never intentionally read anyone's mind, even those in her immediate family. But her father's grief emanated from him so harshly that it almost hurt her to be near him.

In the last five days, her father's emotions have swung from soul crushing grief, to being dead inside and back again. In so many ways, she felt that she and Nathan were on their own. Was it only a week ago that they were all laughing around the breakfast table, making fun of their mother for burning the pancakes once again?

Her parents had retired from the X-Men around the time she was born. They remained as teachers at Xavier's School For Gifted Youngsters, but they rarely went on missions anymore. She, however, followed in their younger selves footsteps and joined the team - much to her parents' dismay. It wasn't that they weren't proud of her, but they worried over her.

And it was that worry over her well-being that caused her mother's death… to her everlasting regret.

 **5 Days Ago**

"You are not going on that mission and that's final. Even the professor has agreed that you should sit this one out." Jean said to her daughter.

"Mom, if I don't go, they won't have a telepath on the team and that's a huge liability. What if they come up against a mutant that has the ability to mess with people's heads? What chance would the team have?" Rachel argued back.

"From Hank's debrief, they most likely won't need you this time out." Jean said.

"Most likely, yeah… But not for sure." Rachel countered.

"Sinister is still out to get you. He was this close to getting your brother not too long ago. I know him, he will not stop until he gets what he wants. I want you to stay close to your father and I until we can stop him." Jean answered.

"I'm twenty-one years old. I can take care of myself. I'm even more powerful than you were at my age!" Rachel said.

"I never said you weren't. But that doesn't mean you're invincible. Sinister has been obsessed with our family for years, and it's that very power you brag about that he'll stop at nothing to harness!" Jean yelled. "Do you know what it would do to me and your father if you never came back home again?"

 **Present Day**

Rachel wondered if her mother knew what it would do to her family if _she_ never came back home again. The irony wasn't lost on her.

Her mother died protecting her that day. Her father came home to a note from his wife. It said that she couldn't stop their daughter from going and so did the only thing she could… she went as well.

The mission was a disaster from the moment they landed. It was an ambush. Their intel was all wrong. They were captured by a group known as Friends of Humanity. The entire team which consisted of her, Jean Grey, Shadowcat, Storm, Iceman, Colossus, Blink and Gambit were placed in collars that acted as inhibitors against their powers. Only her Uncle Kurt, also known as Nightcrawler, was quick enough to teleport out of there and warn the X-Men that stayed behind. They were freed mere hours later by her dad, code name Cyclops, as well as Wolverine, Rogue and Nightcrawler.

They had broken out of the cells they were placed in. They were running through the courtyard when they found themselves surrounded by members of the FOH, armed to the teeth. It seemed there were hundreds of them against their twelve. Twelve of whom more than half were powerless. They could not remove the power inhibitors as they didn't know how exactly they worked and could potentially cause neural damage.

So, they fought. They created a circle formation just like they practiced in the Danger Room countless times. They had practiced for such a scenario at her father's insistence. Those with powers on the outside of the circle, those without would be behind them. It worked well enough for the first few minutes. She and her mother stayed close behind Cyclops, allowing him to blast a path for them.

She and her mother fought those who got close enough physically, but for the most part couldn't do more than evade. They were both physically fit and could hold their own in a fair fight. But without their powers, they were no stronger than an athletic human. And certainly no match for men with weapons.

As the fight continued, their tight circle became more and more loose until it no longer resembled a circle. Her dad, Uncle Logan, Rogue and Uncle Kurt fought valiantly, but they were only four with powers. To her right, she saw a sharpshooter aim right at Shadowcat's head, Bobby jumped in the way and took a bullet in his right shoulder.

"Bobby!" Rachel screamed as she started to run towards her teammate.

"Rachel get down!" she heard her father yell at her. She saw at the last minute that a sniper light was aimed right at her. She had replayed the moment in her mind hundreds of times since. Could she have done anything differently?

Her mother ran towards her from her right. She was too far away to push her down and out of the way, but not so far that she couldn't block the sniper's line of sight. And block it she did… with her own body.

She remembered her father's anguished cries as he watched the bullet exit his wife's chest. Rachel was almost thankful that the collar she was wearing inhibited her telepathy. Because if she had to feel her mother die, if she had to feel her father's sorrow, and if she had to feel her teammates' grief, she may have lost her mind.

But then again, perhaps losing her mind might have been the kinder fate. She didn't remember too much more from that night. Her father ran to her fallen mother. He cradled her in his arms. Rachel ran to them, dropped to her knees and held her mother's hand. It was cold.

"No, no, no, no! Don't leave me, Jean! Not like this… Please!" Her father cried.

She could tell her mother wanted to say something, but because she was shot through one of her lungs, she wasn't able to speak. Her Uncle Logan came up behind them, and realizing what Jean was trying to do, sliced through the inhibitor she had around her neck. Cyclops gasped and Rachel knew her mother was communicating with him through their psychic bond once again.

Tears were streaming down her father's face behind his visors. It was the only time she had ever seen him cry. Her mother's hand went limp in hers and she knew she was gone. She never found out what her mother and father said to each other. Her father hadn't said anything in the days after her mother's death. She couldn't bring herself to ask.

They were rescued not long afterwards by Magneto's team. She was sure the professor leveraged their old friendship to secure his help. They didn't always see eye to eye with each other, but the one thing Magneto was religious about, it was protecting their own.

And so there it was… the world's second most powerful telepath, felled by a simple sniper rifle. Of all the villains they had faced and overcome… it was a simple bullet that ended Jean Grey-Summers. It wasn't right. It was wrong in every conceivable way imaginable.

 **One Month Later**

"Rach… Dad's not eating. He doesn't go out. He just sits by himself in the dark. I'm really worried about him," Nathan Summers said to his sister.

"Yeah, I noticed," Rachel answered, not looking at her brother but continued to stare out her window.

"He doesn't even talk anymore… not that he was much of a talker before," Nathan said. Rachel turned towards her brother and noticed he'd lost weight. His shoulders were slumped and he had his hands in his pockets.

Nathan took after their dad in looks where as she took after her mother. He was tall, lanky with brown hair. She imagined Nate and her dad had the same eyes. Granted, she'd never actually seen her father's eyes except in pictures of him as a boy. Her brother looked so lost and forlorn she went up to him and hugged him.

"We'll get through this, Nate," Rachel said. At seventeen, Nate was already half a foot taller than her, but in her eyes, he would always be her little brother.

"How? It'll never be the same! Dad's a broken man. The whole team walks on egg shells around us. And you're drowning in guilt!" Nate practically yelled. Rachel stared at him, a bit in shock at his outburst. "You don't think I noticed? I'm a telepath too! I may not be as strong as you are yet, but you don't think I haven't caught some of your stray thoughts? How you wish the bullet got you instead of mom?! You think losing you would have been any easier on this family?"

Nate turned away, Rachel guessed it was because he didn't want her to see the tears beginning to pool in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Nate. I didn't realize I was projecting my thoughts," Rachel answered.

"Don't be sorry for your thoughts," Nathan said.

After a few moments, Rachel said, "He blames me you know."

"Dad?"

"Yes. And rightfully so. If I hadn't been so stubborn and insisted on going on that mission, mom would not have been compelled to go too. And she'd be alive now."

Nathan didn't say anything. He probably didn't know what to say. They knew their father loved them both. But they were also both telepaths, and they could sense that he did blame Rachel for what happened that night.

 **Later That Night**

Rachel kept tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep. Unable to stop replaying that fateful night in her mind. Unable to stop yearning for what was. Unable to accept.

She finally threw the covers off and went to find the professor. Not surprisingly, he couldn't sleep either. "Rachel, it's almost 4am. What brings you to my study?" Professor Xavier asked.

"You once told me that in 1973 Uncle Logan went back in time and changed the past. I want to know how he did it." Rachel said, her piercing gaze aimed directly at the man she always considered her grandpa.

"I know where you're going with this, Rachel. But it can't be done. Don't disappoint yourself and magnify your grief even more by thinking about this," the professor said, firmly.

Not to be dissuaded, Rachel asked again, "How did he do it?"

After a moment of deafening silence, the professor answered, "His timeline's Shadowcat brought his consciousness from the future and transported it back into his younger body's… In a nutshell anyway."

Rachel quickly moved to exit the study to find Kitty when the professor stopped her in her tracks telepathically, ** _Not so fast, Rachel!_ **

"What?" Rachel said, impatiently.

" _Our_ Shadowcat has not yet discovered that aspect of her abilities. Not in this timeline anyway. I'm afraid she wouldn't be able to help you, Rachel," Xavier reasoned.

"Then she better learn," Rachel said.

"There is a huge inherent danger to your psyche not to mention to time itself by tampering with it. Your mother died protecting you, Rachel! Do you think she gave up her life just so you could put yours in danger?"

The mention of her mother gave Rachel pause. She knew what the professor was saying was true. But she couldn't find it in herself to accept this outcome. Her father's heart was broken. Her brother was lost. She was dying slowly with guilt. Her family was broken. It was, put simply, unacceptable.

"I will do this with or without your help, Professor. Without would be much harder, and more fraught with danger, but I will if I have to," Rachel said, calmly.

"How your father ever handled two stubborn redheads, I'll never know," the professor sighed. "You do realize that your tampering with past events could lead to a future more bleak than it already is?"

"I will do my utmost to change things for the better. You know that," Rachel said.

"But you can't promise that."

"I can promise I will give my life for this better future I yearn so much for. And you forget, professor, I can read minds too… and I sense a part of you wants me to do this. You loved mom like your own daughter. Don't tell me my plan doesn't appeal to you even a little bit."

Professor Xavier ignored what she said, "My dear, you do realize I could just go into your mind and make you _not_ do this?"

Rachel scoffed, "I'd like to see you try."

If there's one thing Jean always mentioned to Professor Xavier was that her daughter had loads more self-confidence than she did at that age. Rachel knew that the professor could do what he threatened. But he wouldn't be able to enforce it for very long. Rachel was too powerful a telepath for a mind trick, such as the one he was suggesting, to work very long. Rachel knew he knew that too.

After a tense moment the professor sighed. "Very well, Rachel. I'm sure your mother is turning in her grave right now as we speak…"

"If my plan comes together she won't be in a grave much longer."

"That is my hope too," Xavier said sincerely. "But we won't be leveraging Kitty for this."

"What? Why not?" Rachel asked.

"Because she doesn't know how to send people back in time and I'm certainly not going to allow her to experiment on you!"

"Then what do you suggest?" Rachel asked.

"There's a man I know… his name is Bishop. I believe he may be able to help you."

 **To be continued...**


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: X-Men is owned by Marvel (or is it Fox? I'm so confused), and I don't make any money off this.**

 **Chapter 2**

 **October 25th, 1989**

 **1407 Graymalkin Lane, Salem Center**

 **Westchester County, New York**

She was naked. That was the first thing Rachel noticed as she picked herself up off the cold ground. She had a few scrapes and bruises, but aside from those, she seemed fine. She was a bit disoriented but tried her best to collect herself.

It was dark. She instinctively looked to her wrist for the time. But she noticed her watch went the way of her clothes and disappeared as well. She looked to her right and noticed the mansion. Did she do it? Did she go back just before her mother's death?

She walked around trying not to be seen. If she was where she was supposed to be, she didn't want to bump into her slightly younger self and freak everyone out. If Kitty had just been able to help her it would have been a whole lot easier. She could have had her consciousness just transported into her younger self. Then there wouldn't be two of her running around. Oh well, she'd work with what she had.

** _Who are you?_ ** A voice invaded Rachel's mind. ** _What are you doing at my school?_ **

** _Professor? No need to be alarmed, it's just me, Rachel._ ** Rachel answered. Before traveling back in time, she and the professor agreed that she would disclose who she was to his younger self. She wouldn't have been able to keep such a secret from a telepath as strong as Xavier anyway. But she was not to disclose who she was to anyone else. ** _I can explain…_ **

** _Rachel who? And how did you get so far onto the campus undetected?_ **

Rachel was confused. It sounded like the professor had never even heard of her. That can't be right. Did Bishop mess up? Was she not where she was supposed to be, or rather not when she's supposed to be? Or was it something worse, like being thrown into an alternate universe? She looked closely around her. Most of the grounds looked the same. But that's when it hit her. Some things were different. There was no fountain just outside the entrance. She ran to the side of the mansion towards the lake. The boathouse looked like it was falling apart. It didn't look like anyone lived in it. What the hell was going on?

"Jean is that you?" A voice called out to her. Rachel whipped around and saw a figure walking towards her. The voice sounded familiar.

Then she recognized him - he wasn't blue and furry, but she'd recognize that voice anywhere. "Uncle Hank!"

"Whoa! You're not Jean." Hank quickly looked up, obviously having noticed her naked state. "Here…" Ever the gentleman, he took off his coat and wrapped it around her.

"Ummm, thanks," Rachel murmured.

"Did you just call me, Uncle Hank?"

"Umm…" Rachel hedged.

"Who are you?"

Their conversation was quickly interrupted. ** _Bring her in, Hank._ ** Rachel heard the professor tell her Uncle Hank telepathically.

Either way, Rachel thought… she was going to get some answers.

 **One hour later**

"I think I'm gonna throw up!" Rachel said.

"I don't blame you. I probably would too," the professor answered sardonically.

"This can't be happening! 1989?! That's too far… I went back too far! Oh my God!" Rachel cried.

With her permission, Professor Xavier had just telepathically scanned her mind to determine who she was. The only other person privy to the information was Hank McCoy who, upon first setting his eyes on her, had thought she was Jean Grey. The likeness was uncanny. Rachel knew she and her mother had the same eyes, the same build, the same hair. Her father always told her she was the very image of her mother when he first met her.

"I must say it was rather unnerving seeing the conversation you had with my older self. And I'm beyond heartbroken to see the fate of your mother who is so near and dear to me," the professor said sadly. "But you're right, it's almost twenty-seven years from the date you needed to get back to. Lord only knows the damage you could potentially cause going so far back."

Rachel looked at the man she was so close to in her time. Here, he was much younger. Fewer lines on his face. His voice was slightly different, younger sounding. Under proper lighting, she also saw her Uncle Hank who wasn't in his Beast persona. She had to admit, he was quite handsome.

"I can't go back. The man who helped send me here would not be around now. I have no way of going back. I'm trapped," Rachel said, defeatedly. She thought of her father and brother and how she wouldn't be able to see them for a very long time. She thought of her friends as well. Most of them, like her, hadn't even been born yet. Her grief nearly overwhelmed her.

"There now, don't despair. We'll find a way to help you," Hank said as he knelt in front of her and took her hands in his.

"Yes, we will. This is still your home, Rachel… as unfamiliar as it seems," Xavier said. "Hank, take her to the room three doors down from Jubilee's. It's vacant and she can have that one. Tomorrow, we'll introduce you to the school. After your ordeal, you should get some rest."

"Umm… Professor," Hank started. "One look at her and everyone will know something's up. She looks exactly like Jean!"

"Yes, I've thought of that. Not to mention Jean's telepathy is getting stronger by the day. One stray thought from Rachel and Jean could learn who she really is. And it could mean catastrophe to the timeline," the professor said.

"So, what do you guys suggest?" Rachel interjected.

"More importantly, who do we introduce her as?" Hank asked. "She's too old to be a student just starting out, and she's a little too young to be a part of the faculty."

"Age won't be too much of a problem. A lot of people are older than they look. The main problem is her resemblance to her young mother. They could practically pass as twins," Xavier said.

"I'll think of something… Anyway, come along, Rachel. I'll show you to your room." Hank said as he led Rachel out the door.

 **The next morning**

Scott Summers was having breakfast with Ororo, Peter, Kurt, Raven and Jean. He snuck glances at Jean in between bites, wondering how her date went the night before. Why should he care anyway? They were just friend, and have been for the last six years. It shouldn't eat him up inside so badly. But it did.

"So, Jean, how was your date last night?" Ororo asked. Scott wanted to hug her and smack her both at once for asking the question he was too much of a coward to ask.

Jean blushed a little, looked down at her cereal and answered nonchalantly, "It was fine."

"What, no details? Come on!" Peter chimed in.

"That is rude, Peter!" Kurt said with his thick German accent from beside Scott.

"Yeah, it's none of our business, Peter," Scott decided to add. He forced himself to smile at Jean. "Don't mind him, he's just being nosy. Glad you had a good time." _Did you sleep with him?_ Damn, he hoped he didn't project that thought out loud.

"Thanks, Scott," Jean said. If Scott didn't know any better, she almost seemed sad.

All of a sudden, their breakfast was interrupted by a mental summons from the professor. ** _X-Men, please meet me in my office. I would like to introduce you to someone._ **

 **The professor's office**

The first thing Scott noticed when he walked into the professor's office was a tall young woman standing between him and Hank. She was looking down, so he couldn't get a clear look at her face. This was obviously the person they were to be introduced to.

The rest of the team filed in right behind him. They all sort of stood in a line in front of the professor. If he wanted to introduce the young woman it would make it easier if they all stood side by side anyway.

"Thank you all for coming so quickly. I wanted to introduce you all to our newest faculty member," the professor then turned to the young woman. "Rachel, please introduce yourself."

"Umm…" The young woman looked up and Scott couldn't help but think there was something familiar about her. She had light, wavy, shoulder-length blonde hair, as far as he could tell with his ruby quartz glasses anyway. She had on prescription glasses that took up a good portion of her face. But that couldn't hide the fact that she was beautiful. More than that, he felt like he'd seen her somewhere before.

She was obviously a bit on the shy side, so Scott thought he'd help her out. He extended his hand to her. "Nice to meet you, Rachel. I'm Scott Summers." Scott couldn't help but notice that when the young woman looked up to see him, she looked like she saw a ghost.

She quickly composed herself though, and accepted his hand. "I'm Rachel Sum… umm… I mean Winters. I'm Rachel Winters."

Was it Scott's imagination or did Hank just roll his eyes? Must have been his imagination. The rest of the team followed Scott's lead and introduced themselves one by one. Scott couldn't help but notice that Rachel had a similar reaction with Jean when it was her turn to introduce herself. The new girl was a tad odd.

"Now that everyone's been introduced, we can move on to other topics," the professor said. "Rachel here will be taking over grades 8-10 Math from Scott so he can fully focus on the higher levels as well as Calculus. She will also be taking over Jean's grades 8 and 9 Biology so she can be free to teach Physics alongside Hank."

Scott could sense the loneliness emanating from the young woman. He knew how that felt. He tried to extend a friendly gesture. "Let me know when you have some time, I can go over the course material for the Math classes with you," Scott said smiling.

"Thanks," Rachel said, not quite meeting his eyes, or glasses for that matter.

"Same here," Jean added, smiling. "We can get together and I'll show you the material I have."

That's his Jean, Scott thought. Always so warm and welcoming. Come to think of it, he was the only person she wasn't quite so warm with when they first met. But then again, he had called her a weird girl and told her to stay out of his head. Wait… when did she become _his_ Jean?

Rachel just nodded. Scott had always considered himself observant, and if he didn't know any better, the young woman almost seemed pained to look up at Jean. Maybe she was just nervous on her first day.

"So, what exactly are your gifts?" Kurt asked.

She looked at Kurt casually and answered, "I have telekinesis and I'm a telepath as well… although not quite as strong your professor's."

"Me too!" Jean said, excitedly. "Well, it looks like you and I have more in common than just teaching the same subjects."

"You have no idea." Hank murmured. The professor quickly and loudly cleared his throat. Scott wondered what that was all about. And come to think of it, the new girl didn't even bat an eyelash when she was introduced to Kurt. That had never happened before with anyone. His blue, demon-like appearance always elicited a reaction from those meeting him for the first time. Who was she?

"Anyway, I know you all have classes to teach. Since it's already the middle of the week, I've told Rachel she can start on Monday next," the professor said, effectively dismissing everyone.

"I thought that went well," Hank said, when everyone was out of hearing range.

"A part of me was a little worried you'd burst into tears when you saw your mother. I'm quite proud of how you kept yourself composed," the professor added.

Early that morning, Rachel got a knock on her bedroom door from Hank. He came in with clothes for her as well as a blonde wig and fake prescription glasses. The glasses looked similar to the ones Linda Carter wore in that 70's Wonder Woman show. She hated the whole disguise. The glasses were an annoyance and she just didn't like the blonde look in general. Oh well, beggars can't be choosers as her Uncle Hank liked to say.

"It was difficult to see my parents. So young… so different… but still the same. Does that make any sense?" Rachel asked to no one in particular.

"Of course, it does," the professor said. "And please remember, as we discussed, under no circumstances can anyone, especially your parents, find out who you are and when you're truly from. The consequences could be nothing, but more than likely it could be catastrophic."

"Yes, I know," Rachel replied, dejectedly.

"As an extra safety precaution, I've added - for lack of an actual name - psychic silencers in your mind. They will ensure that no stray thoughts will be caught by Jean. She will never find out who you are unless she enters your mind herself, which she would never do uninvited. That being said, although she won't be privy to your stray thoughts or wandering mind, she will still be able to sense your emotions," Xavier said.

"You did well today, Rachel," her Uncle Hank said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to be so distant with everybody. You could be here for a very long time. It would be lonely to stand apart for so long. Be a part of this family… just not as Scott and Jean's daughter."

"Rachel Winters, huh?" Professor Xavier asked, a teasing note in his voice.

"I couldn't think of anything on the spot. I thought of Summers which led me to Summer which led me to Winter. Then I added an 's'." The professor and her Uncle Hank burst out laughing. She didn't think it was particularly funny. But she had to admit, the sound of laughter was a balm to her battered soul. It may… just may… not be as bad as she thought it would be.

 **To be continued...**


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 **November 23rd, 1989**

 **1407 Graymalkin Lane, Salem Center**

 **Westchester County, New York**

Lunch had just finished and the students at the school were grabbing their books and heading for class, as were most of the teachers. The exceptions were Scott Summers, and Jean Grey. They both stayed behind in the mess hall. Scott stayed behind to review his Calculus material, and Jean stayed behind because Scott stayed behind.

It was rare for Jean to find Scott alone these days. He seemed to avoid her. They used to be so close… until they weren't anymore. She missed him, and she wasn't even sure when the wedge had formed between them.

"So, Scott, did you guys have a great time last night?" Jean asked. Scott, Peter, Hank and Kurt went out to see a movie the night before. Ororo and Jubilee met with them after the movie for a bite to eat.

"Yeah, it was fun. We actually ended up doing karaoke afterwards… Well… more like _they_ _did karaoke afterwards_. I just watched. We didn't even get back until almost two in the morning. I think the only teachers today that aren't dead tired are you, Rachel and Raven," Scott said, flashing her his boyish grin.

"I wish I had tagged along," Jean said wistfully, truly meaning it. She had gone for a fifth date with Duncan. It wasn't so much that she didn't enjoy her night out too. It was just… well, she wasn't sure. She and Duncan never did more than hang out. She'd certainly never even gone back to his apartment yet. Jean wasn't ready to get serious with him. But she was feeling lonely, more so these days.

Scott looked like he wanted to say something or ask her something, but he seemed to change his mind. He looked sheepishly at her, then looked back down at his papers.

"So, what movie did you guys watch last night?" Jean asked.

"Oh, it was really great, we went to see Back To The Future II!" Scott answered.

As Jean hoped, Scott became really animated when talking about the movie. If there was one thing Scott could just chill out about and relax, it was movies. "I mean, you can't really scrutinize the movie too much because of all the paradoxes involved in time travel, but it's still thought provoking. What do you think?" Scott asked her.

What did she think? She thought it was sad that the two of them watched the first Back To The Future film four years ago together. Just the two of them. They had been so comfortable with each other back then… What in the world happened?

"Umm… Jean?" Scott asked, waiting for a reply to his question.

"Oh, yes… I think that time travel is impossible. I mean, in the first movie, Marty went back and almost prevented his own parents from getting together and he started to fade from existence. But then if he faded from existence, he would have never been able to go back in time to begin with to prevent his parents from getting together… It just wouldn't work," Jean answered.

"I guess you're right… but still, it's an intriguing concept, you must admit," Scott said.

"It sure is," Jean said. "But if it were possible, then wouldn't we have visitors from the future now?"

Scott seemed to think about her question for quite some time. He looked so serious, Jean had to stop herself from chuckling out loud. Her serious Scott, treating a hypothetical science fiction question as if it were a real problem to solve.

"I guess… but who's to say they're not amongst us already. Maybe they just don't want to disclose who they truly are," Scott suggested.

"For what purpose?" Jean asked.

"I don't know… maybe they don't want to mess with time and its consequences," Scott said.

"But their very presence if they were here would itself alter the timeline," Jean argued.

"True… Oh man, this conversation is giving me a headache!" Scott said. And he and Jean both started to laugh at the same time. "Remind me never to debate with you."

For a fleeting moment, it felt like old times again to Jean. She didn't want it to end. If she had to pinpoint a time when Scott started drifting away, it was around the time she went back to her modelling part time. It wasn't anything serious. It was just to add a bit to her income. It also gave her an opportunity to travel a little more during the summers when school was out. She had tried for years to get Scott to notice her as something more than a friend. She wondered if maybe she had tried too hard. Maybe that's what made him become distant. Did he notice she had feelings for him? Was he too nice to reject her, so he just started avoiding her altogether? With Scott Summers, it was impossible to tell.

Right around the time she went back to modelling, she was forced to accept the fact that Scott wasn't interested. Not in that way anyway. It was funny, Peter would always tell her she could have any man she wanted. Well, obviously that wasn't true.

"Hello, earth to Jean?" Scott interrupted her thoughts. "You seemed so far away just a second ago. You okay?"

"Yeah, just going through my to-do list for the rest of the day," Jean lied. She was so distracted that when she turned to reach for her purse, she knocked her coffee mug over and completely shattered it.

"Damn," Jean murmured as she bent down to pick up the shards.

"Jean, don't those are sharp!" Scott said. But it was too late. Jean cut her finger picking up one of the broken pieces.

"Ouch," Jean said as she instinctively let go of the offending piece. She ran to the sink to rinse her finger. Scott followed close behind.

"Here, give me that." Scott took her hand carefully in his.

"I can take care of it, Scott," Jean protested half-heartedly.

"I never said you couldn't. But why should you have to when I'm here," Scott said.

"I'm sorry, I know you were busy preparing your lesson plan," Jean said.

"It can wait. You're more important… And I told you not to touch the broken mug," Scott admonished gently.

Jean just shrugged her shoulders. It was times like these, when Scott treated her with such care, like she was the only thing that mattered, that gave her false hope.

It was the little things that Scott would do for her that confused her so. Like when he would always bring her back her favorite donut whenever he went out to get himself something to eat. It was how he'd always save a small treat for her in the corner back of the fridge where it wouldn't be found whenever she was late for a meal. It was how whenever he rented a movie, he'd make sure to pick up something for her too. She noticed he never did things like that for anyone else. She once caught a stray thought from him thinking she was beautiful when he saw her in one of her new dresses.

But just when she thought he might be feeling the same way, he'd retreat for days at a time… Sometimes weeks at a time. He'd go back to his aloof self and she'd end up wondering if she imagined everything. The damn man was so confusing. She wished then that she could see his eyes. The eyes wouldn't lie. Unfortunately for her, his were covered by his visors. A part of her was tempted to just go inside his mind and just find out how he truly felt about her. But at the end of the day, she cared too much for Scott and respected him too much to invade his privacy that way.

"There we are… good as new… well, almost," Scott said as he finished wrapping her finger with a small band aid. He smiled at her then, obviously quite proud of his little handiwork with her hand. He was a handsome one alright. How much more if she could see his eyes?

"Thanks, Scott. Anyway, I should get going. I have a few things to do before I have to teach my last class of the day," Jean said, turning to leave.

 **Meanwhile**

Unbeknownst to both Scott and Jean, Rachel was sitting across the mess hall from them and witnessed most of their exchange. Rachel couldn't believe what she witnessed. Her parents looked so awkward with each other. There were times during the exchange that they looked like the mom and dad she knew, especially when they both laughed at something her dad said. But for the most part, it was just… not right.

Granted, when Rachel thought about the whole thing logically, sure there must have been a time when her parents weren't so comfortable yet with each other. But to remember hearing them talk when she was little, a person would think they'd been together from day one. If Rachel did the math correctly, her parents met in 1983. It was now 1989. That's six years! What the hell have they been doing all that time? No wonder it took twelve years for her to be born after her parents met.

In fact, the more pressing problem might not be on how to get home or how to prevent her mother's death. It could very well be ensuring she was born to begin with! At this rate, with the way those two seemed to dance around each other, it may never happen.

And what was frightening to Rachel was that her very presence in this world may have already made it so her parents getting together was no longer a sure thing. Granted, she was still technically alive, and hadn't started fading away like Marty McFly did in Back To The Future. But still… who truly knew how time travel worked? She may need to encourage fate along…

 **Meanwhile**

Scott watched Jean walk out of the mess hall. What was wrong with him? Why couldn't he see her the same way he saw Ororo, or Jubilee or Raven? Why did he continue to yearn for what he shouldn't have?

The night before was the fifth time she went out on a date with what's his face. Oh right, Duncan Matthews. The guy she met at her last photo shoot. Yup, the day he found out she was going on a date was the worst day of his life… the worst day that didn't involve anyone dying that was. He remembered wanting to kick himself for being so slow.

He remembered he had debated all that week whether or not to tell her how he felt. At times, he had felt confident enough to throw caution to the wind and just spit it out. Other times - unfortunately most times - he felt he just wasn't good enough for her. That day she came back home after her first modelling shoot spoke volumes about how he wasn't even in her league.

She came back so excited. She got to meet this agent and that scout and that supermodel. She was treated to various designer clothes, shoes and accessories. Her agent got her a session with one of the hottest up and coming photographers. She even flew in a private helicopter for one of her shoots. She wasn't rich and famous yet, but she was certainly rubbing elbows with those who were. He seriously wondered, if she made it, would she trade her current life for the glitz and glamour of the modelling business?

Selfish bastard that he was, for a time, he had hoped she wouldn't make it. And much to his relief, she continued to only pursue her modelling on the side. She continued to focus more on the school and her job teaching, as well as her secret life as an X-Man.

But then came Duncan. Dirty blonde, blue-eyed, 6'2" with about six percent body fat. If that wasn't enough to make Scott gag, the guy was beyond wealthy. Not wealthy because he was a successful male model. Nope, he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. His father was the CEO of Nextek Pharmaceuticals. The third largest in the United States.

If it were just the guy's looks, Scott had enough confidence that maybe he could compete. After all, Scott's grown taller since he first met Jean and was himself around 6'3". He had blue eyes too. Too bad no one could see them. Sure, he had boring brown hair, but he'd been told he had a nice smile. He figured that should count for something. He also worked out pretty regularly and could hold his own in the physique department.

Too bad he didn't have a luxury apartment in the heart of New York like good ol' Duncan. He researched how much the apartment cost… drum roll please… $3,585 per square foot. Yeah, no competition there. And was he selfish enough to make Jean choose between Mr. Perfect and Mr. Math Teacher?

A sudden memory came to him. He was thirteen years old and at the time had the biggest crush on the new girl at his high school. He had asked his brother Alex how he would know if he loved a girl or not. He remembered what Alex told him as clear as if it was yesterday. He said, "Scott, if you want this girl's happiness, even if her happiness means you don't get to be happy yourself, then you know you love her." God, how he wished his brother was still alive.

So, there it was. He loved Jean. Was completely in love with her, but it was too late. Besides, from what he'd seen of Duncan, he treated Jean well enough. He was sure Jean would never want for anything being his girlfriend. Duncan could give her the moon… Scott, simply, could not. It was time to let go.

"Penny for your thoughts." Scott looked up to see Rachel sit across from him.

"Oh hey, Rachel," Scott said smiling. And his smile wasn't fake either. He didn't know why, but he liked the new teacher. In the short time she'd been at the school, she seemed to genuinely care about everyone there. She seemed like a pretty private person and didn't talk about herself much, but he could respect that.

"You looked like you were trying to solve a combination of functions and coordinate geometry all in your head," Rachel said teasingly.

Scott laughed, "Something like that I guess you could say."

"Anyway, I wanted to thank you for being so generous with your course material. It made settling in a lot easier," Rachel said.

"No problem. There's a lot more where those came from. I didn't want to give you too much stuff at once. The material I gave you should be enough for the first month," Scott said.

"Nice. Do you think we can go over the Math 9 exam material? Especially the answers. I'm not sure where to find those," Rachel asked.

"No problem. I have to run a few errands tonight and won't be home. Do you want to meet in the library first thing tomorrow morning to go over the stuff?" Scott asked.

"Do you think Jean would mind you working so closely with another teacher alone?" Rachel asked.

"Jean? Why would she mind?" Scott asked a bit taken aback by her question.

"Oh sorry, was I mistaken? I thought you two were together. Just seeing you both the last few weeks gave me that impression. Did I come to the wrong conclusion?" Rachel asked.

"Ummm… yeah, Jean and I are friends. That's all," Scott said, starting to feel rather uncomfortable with the direction their conversation was heading.

"Hmm… that's too bad," Rachel said, taking a sip of her water bottle.

"What do you mean?" Scott asked, intrigued by her comment.

"You two look good together. And it's obvious you care about her," Rachel answered.

"I care about everyone here," Scott tried his best to say nonchalantly.

"I suppose that's true enough, but your eyes don't follow them. It only follows Jean. You have a tendency to breathe deeply whenever she enters a room."

"Really? You can see where my eyes go? And wait… how is my breathing even relevant?" Scott asked incredulously.

"Well, from an evolutionary perspective, men do that to make their upper body look broader and their waste smaller. Two qualities that are supposed to make one look fitter, hence more desirable… In other words, subconsciously you're trying to attract her," Rachel said shrugging.

"… I do not!" Scott said indignantly.

"I wouldn't have noticed it otherwise," Rachel said.

"Fine. What else do I do?" Scott said, this time with a pout.

"You lean towards her when you talk to her."

"I do?"

"And the other day you pretended there was something in her hair, just so you could brush said imaginary thing off her hair."

Scott slouched a little in his seat actually remembering that one, a bit embarrassed he said, "Go on…"

"And you get this look on your face like you just drank sour milk whenever Peter harmlessly flirts with Jean," Rachel finished.

"Alright, alright… You made your point," Scott said, throwing his hands up in the air.

"Well? If I'm right, that begs the question… Why aren't you two together?" Rachel asked.

Scott scoffed. "You're assuming she's even interested in me."

"Well… if you knew for a fact she was… would you tell her how you felt?" Rachel asked.

"I don't know," Scott said, honestly.

"What would stop you?" Rachel asked.

"She's dating a really great guy right now," Scott answered.

"Wait, what?! She's dating someone else? How come I've never heard of that?!" Rachel asked, almost in a panic, Scott couldn't help but notice.

"Well… you've only been here a few weeks… And yeah, he's this really successful, good looking guy who treats her well and I don't want to mess that up for her," Scott said dejectedly. Scott wasn't in the mood to continue the conversation. He got up and started gathering his papers.

"And you're so sure you're not the better option?" Rachel asked.

Almost in a whisper, Scott answered, "He can give her the moon."

"Perhaps… but I have a feeling you'd bring her back water from the moon if she asked it of you."

He didn't know which was better. So, Scott didn't answer.

 **The following day**

Rachel spotted Jean eating outside on the grass next to a tall tree. It was an unusually warm day in late November, but she wasn't going to complain. Jean noticed her as well and made a motion for Rachel to join her.

"Hey Rachel, beautiful day huh?" Jean said.

"Yeah… So, this has always been your favorite spot huh?" Rachel said, remembering all the times her mother enjoyed sitting at that spot. She often found her parents sitting together by this tree. Her dad told her it was where he first laid eyes on her mom.

"What do you mean?" Jean asked.

"Umm… I meant, this is probably your favorite spot. It's warm enough and the tree gives you shade if you needed it," Rachel said, trying to backtrack on her tiny slip.

"Oh, yes absolutely. I come here often just to think or to enjoy the weather."

"So, which is it today? To think or to enjoy the weather?" Rachel asked.

"A little of both I guess," Jean said.

"I just wanted to thank you for helping me get started with the course materials on my Biology classes. You definitely saved me a lot of time," Rachel said.

"I was happy to help. And don't hesitate to reach out if you need anything or have any questions. We telepaths have to stick together right?" Jean said, smiling.

Rachel returned the smile… and smiled even more wickedly inside for what she was about to do. "Actually, I do have a question…"

"Oh?" Jean asked.

"Yeah, it's about Scott. Is he ummm… seeing anyone right now?" Rachel asked, trying her best to sound casual.

She saw Jean's face fall and her smile slowly but surely disappear. "He's uhhh… not… at the moment. Why do you ask?"

Rachel almost felt bad for pretending interest in her dad, which she didn't want to continue the charade more than she had to, considering the "ick" factor involved. She almost felt bad seeing her mother's face fall as it did… almost, until she remembered her mother was currently dating some rich guy.

"I don't know… I think he's kind of cute. He's smart too, seems like a really nice guy. What's not to like?" Rachel shrugged.

"He's moody," Jean blurted out.

"I'd call that pensive," Rachel said.

"You'd have to carry the conversation," Jean added.

"Hmm… the strong, silent type," Rachel countered.

"He thinks he's never wrong," Jean said.

"He's got confidence," Rachel said. She knew she was getting under Jean's skin. Her mother never showed it much, but she was possessive when it came to Scott Summers. Rachel distinctly remembered when she was twelve years old and a much younger teacher joined the faculty and started making moves on her dad… Oh boy, did that blonde ever learn first hand a redhead's temper.

But in this time, Jean had no hold on Scott. They were just friends. So, she would actually have to grin and bear it if another woman were to show any interest in Scott. And maybe, just maybe push her to act on her feelings.

Rachel glanced at Jean and noticed the miserable look she had. She loved her mom too much to continue on. She just wanted to get her thinking. A part of her wondered if Jean got too comfortable seeing as how Scott never went out and no one's ever really threatened her position in his life.

"But then again, he's probably not for me," Rachel said after a few moments, obviously taking pity on the miserable Jean.

"Why the quick change of mind?" Jean asked, sounding hopeful.

"I've spent quite a bit of time with him the last couple of weeks going over course material… He's just not interested." Rachel shrugged.

"You think so?" Jean asked.

"Yeah, he's got his eye on someone else I think," Rachel said.

"Did he say who?" Jean asked.

"No, like you said, he's not much of a talker," Rachel answered.

"Then what makes you think he's got his eye on someone else?" Jean asked.

"Cuz he's always got 'em on you… and I was curious to see if you noticed," Rachel said, smiling.

"Wait… so… you were testing me? And how in the world do you even see where his eyes follow? Last I checked they're covered," Jean asked.

"What makes you think seeing through stuff isn't one of my powers?" Rachel said with a laugh.

"I doubt that," Jean said, raising one of her eyebrows. Rachel had a sudden flash of memory of her mother giving her the same look when she said the dog ate her homework.

"Well, just trust that I'm an observant person," Rachel said, getting up.

"You think Scott's interested in me?" Jean asked.

"Interested would be an understatement," Rachel said.

"If you knew he was interested in me then why did you ask me if he was seeing anyone else? You probably already knew the answer to your question," Jean asked.

"I wanted to see your reaction," Rachel answered simply.

"Why? For what purpose? To check if you had competition?" Jean asked, sounding a little annoyed.

"Nope. Let's just say I like you both. And you both like each other… to say the least. I was just trying to point you in the right direction. Tell me, that fraction of a second when you thought you did have competition… how'd that make you feel?" Rachel asked.

Jean didn't answer. She didn't have to.

 **To be continued…**


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 **December 6th, 1989**

 **The Mall**

"Jean, we've gone around the mall twice in the last five hours, visited every single store here, and you're still not done. What else are you looking for?" Rachel asked, exasperated.

Jean looked at Rachel sheepishly. "I'm sorry, I just… can't find anything for Scott. I don't know what to get him for Christmas."

Jean took so long and was so indecisive that the rest of the gang went back home from their Christmas shopping. Only Rachel and Scott stayed behind. Scott however, decided to separate from the ladies and go to the book store. All the better for Jean since it was his gift she was trying to find.

"You could just wrap yourself up in a bow and present yourself to him… I'm sure that's a Christmas he'll never forget," Rachel said, flippantly.

Jean burst out laughing. "That might give him a heart attack!"

"Actually… yeah, maybe," Rachel said, giggling along with Jean.

Ever since Jean and Rachel had that talk a couple of weeks back, they'd gotten closer as friends. It was nice having someone like Rachel who understood her so well. She was someone who knew the challenges she'd had to face with her powers. Most importantly, she finally had someone who understood her feelings for Scott and who supported her in it. She still wasn't entirely sure how Rachel could be so confident in knowing that Scott returned her feelings. But spending time with her, with how confident Rachel was, she couldn't help but hope that her friend was right.

"Here, how about these?" Rachel said, pointing to a pack of sticky labels.

"What about them?" Jean asked, confused.

"They can be your gift for Scott. You can label all his clothes for him… This is green, this is blue, this is orange…" Rachel said, jokingly.

"That is mean, Rachel!" Jean tried to say seriously, but couldn't help but smile a bit. Because Scott was forced to see the world through his ruby quartz glasses, he couldn't help but see everything in shades of red. It often caused problems for him when picking out clothes to wear. Jean remembered just the other day when Scott wore a pair of bright blue khaki pants with an even brighter yellow t-shirt. It was so cute… but also so sad.

"Well, that's another reason why you should put him out of his misery and just be his girlfriend already. If anything, at least he'll never wear mismatched clothes again."

"I still don't know how you're so sure he'd even be open to the idea - "

"I couldn't be any surer…"

"Wait… did you read his mind?" Jean had never even considered the possibility before.

"Absolutely not!" Rachel said indignantly. "My mom would box my ears if I ever did such a thing."

"Oh, well it seems your mom and I would get along," Jean said.

"You have no idea," Rachel muttered under her breath. Jean felt there was a double meaning to that comment, but decided not to pursue it. Instead, she wanted to know more about her friend.

"So, tell me Rachel, do you have family around here?" Jean asked as casually as she could.

"Umm… No, not really." Rachel answered.

Jean waited a few moments to see if Rachel would elaborate, but like all the other times she'd been asked about her family, she didn't add much. It made Jean all the more curious about her new friend. It wasn't that she didn't trust her. On the contrary, Jean did not sense any duplicity or malice in her. She was secretive for sure, but she knew it wasn't for any hostile purpose. In fact, she sensed so much sadness and longing in her friend.

"Did you and your family have any Christmas traditions you followed?" Jean asked, not ready to drop the subject.

Rachel looked pensive and was silent for a while. Jean thought she wasn't going to answer when she said, "When we were kids, mom and dad would take me and my little brother to the mall. We'd split up at first. Me with dad, my little brother with my mom. We'd find presents for the other half, then after a couple of hours, we'd swap parents and continue shopping."

"That sounds like fun," Jean said, trying to encourage her to continue.

"I took it for granted then. I wish I'd have savored it more. We'd get home and wrap the presents. My parents had to hide the presents they bought for me and my brother because they knew we wouldn't be able to wait until Christmas time," Rachel said.

"Sounds like you and your brother were a handful."

"Yeah, we were. But we were good kids too for the most part. On Christmas Eve we'd visit my grandparents and have dinner there. We always spent Christmas day at home though. We'd wake our parents up at like 5am just so we could open presents. Then we'd spend the day preparing a big Christmas dinner. Then afterwards, we'd spend most of the night singing Christmas carols," Rachel said, no longer looking at Jean but through her.

It was obvious she was remembering happier times… And what was even more obvious to Jean was that this was a woman who loved her family dearly.

"So… will you be going home to visit your folks this Christmas?" Jean asked.

Rachel hesitated at first, then shrugged her shoulder as if it was no big deal. "My mother died not too long ago… and my father hasn't been the same since. I'm sure my brother will spend Christmas with our grandparents, my mom's parents I mean, and I'll be… here."

"Couldn't you join your brother with your grandparents?" Jean asked.

"No, it's too umm… too… far." Then as if to change the subject, Rachel asked, "How about you, Jean? What do you usually do with your family on Christmas?"

"Well, my folks are only an hour's drive from the mansion. I usually leave in the morning and I'm back at the school the following evening," Jean answered.

"What do you guys do for Christmas?" Rachel asked.

"Actually, we do pretty much what your family used to do on Christmas. We'd open presents really early, spend the day preparing for dinner, then just hang out as a family afterwards. Every year my dad would read A Christmas Carol to me and my sister. Even as adults, we'd gather around the living room and he'd read it to us," Jean answered.

"Yeah, I remember that," Rachel said absently.

"Remember what?" Jean asked, confused.

"Oh, I meant, I remember that… umm… story. Yeah, A Christmas Carol I meant. I'm ummm… a sucker for stories on second chances." Rachel smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah me too," Jean said.

Obviously wanting to change the topic, Rachel asked, "So, have you decided yet what you'll get Scott?"

"I'm afraid not," Jean said, sadly.

"You know, for someone who's still technically dating someone else, you're far more concerned with what to get Scott than what to get… what's his face?" Rachel said.

For whatever reason Jean couldn't fathom, Rachel did not like her dating Duncan. She wasn't sure why. Duncan was nothing but charming the one time she introduced him to Rachel. Rachel had been almost hostile to the poor man. Rachel had made it perfectly clear that she thought Jean and Scott would be perfect for each other.

Her coldness to the whole idea of Duncan almost bordered on the absurd. Jean wondered if there was something Rachel sensed in Duncan that maybe she didn't? Either way it didn't matter anymore. Jean had plans to break it off with Duncan. It wasn't fair to him that her heart so obviously belonged to someone else.

"Actually, I have plans to meet up with Duncan tomorrow to break things off," Jean said.

"Really?" Rachel asked, smiling.

"You made me realize a lot of things. One of those things is that I haven't been fair to him. I went out with him for all the wrong reasons," Jean said.

"Such as?" Rachel encouraged Jean to continue.

"I wanted to get my mind off Scott. I enjoyed the attention Duncan was giving me. He was good looking, which didn't hurt. A part of me had hoped to see Scott jealous. It didn't really work," Jean said.

"Oh, don't be so sure…" Rachel said.

"If you were in my spot, Rachel, what would you get Scott?" Jean asked.

"Seeing as you don't believe me that you alone are gift enough for him… I'd say get him a chess set. He loves to play," Rachel suggested.

"How do you know?" Jean asked.

"Err… I thought I overheard him mentioning something about enjoying the game," Rachel said, evasively.

"Really? I've never seen him play chess before," Jean thought out loud.

"It's probably because he doesn't have a chess set," Rachel said.

"I'm sure there's one around the mansion somewhere," Jean said.

"Yeah, but it would mean a lot to him if it came from you. Plus, it'll give you a reason to spend even more time with him. You could challenge him to a game anytime," Rachel suggested.

"True… although I don't know how to play," Jean said.

"Don't worry, I can teach you," Rachel offered.

"How'd you learn?" Jean asked.

"My dad taught me."

 **An hour later**

They were finally finished shopping. Thank the Lord! Rachel's feet were aching and she was hungry. In her own time, her mother always knew what to get her father. They never spent more than thirty minutes shopping for him. Just chalk it up to another difference between her mother and this younger version of her. It was so weird for Rachel to see this less than confident version of her mom. She was so unsure of her dad's feelings for her, of her place in his life. It was surreal.

They were waiting for Scott to join them at the food court when her thoughts were distracted by two young men that approached them. "You ladies look like you could use some company," the tallest one with the baseball cap said to them.

"We're doing just fine, thanks," Jean said.

** _They're up to no good,_ ** Rachel sent to Jean telepathically.

** _I know… no need to be a telepath to realize that,_ ** Jean answered.

"Two pretty girls like yourselves shouldn't be all alone," the shorter one in the leather jacket said.

"We're not," Rachel said, curtly.

"You girls want to hang out? Go for a ride with us?" the tall guy in the cap said.

"Not really, we've got things to do," Jean said pulling away.

"I can think of _better_ things to do," the one in the leather jacket said, leering at Rachel.

"We really have to get going," Jean said making a motion to grab Rachel's arm. But before Jean could reach, the guy in the cap grabbed Jean's arm and pulled her to him. Rachel knew Jean could easily break his hold with her telekinesis, but didn't want to draw any attention.

All of a sudden, an arm came out of nowhere and broke the guy's hold on Jean's arm. It was Scott! Rachel didn't even see him approach, she was so preoccupied by the two goons.

"Like the lady said, they have plans… and they don't include you," Scott said to the tall guy in the cap.

"Back off!" the guy said, shoving Scott back.

Rachel noticed the faint red glow behind Scott's glasses and she knew he was pissed. Jean, probably sensing that the situation was about to escalate, quickly took Scott's hand in her own and pulled him to her. She looked intensely at him. Rachel had no doubt she said something to him telepathically. It seemed to calm him down. Scott and Jean made a motion for Rachel to follow them.

"Look at him! He's scared! What a pussy, hiding behind his girl," the guy in the leather jacket taunted Scott.

"Hey faggot! We're not done with you yet!" The guy in the cap shoved Scott from behind. The impact made Scott lose his glasses. Thankfully, it seemed his first instinct was to shut his eyes. Rachel was about to telekinetically throw the guy into the nearest wall when Jean stopped her.

** _No Rachel! Not here! There are too many people watching!_ **

"Hey, I know this guy. That's Scott Summers! Remember him? He went to high school with us til he blew up the washroom," the guy in the cap said turning to his buddy. "He's a damn mutant!"

"Oh yeah, no wonder he looked familiar," the guy in the leather jacket turned to Jean and Rachel. "You girls know you're hanging out with a monster?!"

"The only monsters here are you and your friend!" Rachel said as they quickly walked away from anymore potential trouble.

 **Later that night**

Scott felt terrible about what happened at the mall earlier that day. He knew Jean and Rachel could have handled everything on their own. Lord knows either one of them could crush him in a battle with a single thought. So why did he act like such an alpha male? Oh right, when he saw that guy grab Jean he just saw red… literally and figuratively. What were the odds they were the same bullies he went to high school with so many years ago.

Jean didn't seem bothered by it. She was actually more angry on his behalf. Regardless, he apologized for overstepping his bounds. Whenever Jean was involved he couldn't seem to think clearly. So, he decided to go for a late night walk to clear his head.

He had just turned the last street corner to head back to the mansion when he felt a massive blow to the back of his head… then blackness.

 **To be continued…**


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 **2:00am**

 **December 7th, 1989**

Rachel was woken up by a commotion below stairs. She could hear… No, she could sense Jean's panic.

"Something's wrong! There has to be. Scott would never be out this late without letting someone know," Jean said, the fear in her voice unmistakable.

"I was chatting with him after dinner," Peter said. "He said he was just going to go for a walk. Told me he wouldn't be more than an hour."

Rachel quickly tried to reach out to her father telepathically. No doubt Jean would have already tried, but she had to try too. Nothing. Not even a faint echo of his thoughts. That would explain Jean's fear. If she couldn't find any trace of him telepathically, then that meant Jean couldn't either. And that could very well mean that Scott was either too far, unconscious or… worse.

But Rachel had to believe he was still alive. For one thing, _she_ was still alive. That couldn't be the case if her father was killed, could it? Almost forgetting to put on her blonde wig and glasses, she quickly donned them and raced downstairs.

She saw Hank, Peter, Kurt, Ororo, Raven and Jean standing at the foot of the staircase. "I agree with Jean, Scott would have let someone know," Raven said. "Peter, did he mention where he was going?"

"No, he only said he was going for a walk," Peter answered.

"I'm very worried, if Jean cannot sense him telepathically, then he's either very far away, unconscious or… or…" Ororo looked like she couldn't bring herself to say it.

"Don't even think that, Ororo," Hank said as he met Rachel's eyes as she walked down the stairs. "He's alive. I know it."

"How can you be so sure?" Jean asked.

"I… I just am," Hank answered.

Rachel was about to suggest they wake the professor when he suddenly came around the corner. "I've sensed everyone's distress. I know it's about Scott. I can't sense him either," Xavier said.

"Should we go out and backtrack his steps?" Kurt suggested.

"No, let's try Cerebro first," the professor said.

 **Underground, below the mansion**

The X-Men waited just outside the room where the professor was using Cerebro. He wanted complete quiet and concentration and so went in alone. Rachel could tell everyone was on edge. She had to put up a mental block as everyone's emotions were threatening to overwhelm her… especially her mother's.

Peter sat against the wall with his headphones on, although Rachel knew there was no music playing. Hank kept pacing back and forth. Ororo was leaning against the wall, her face in her hands, obviously concerned about their fellow teammate. Kurt stood slightly apart from everyone, praying his rosary.

And then there was Jean. Rachel could tell she was doing her best to appear calm and collected. But one look at her increasingly pale complexion and anyone would be able to tell she was barely holding it together.

After what seemed like forever, the professor emerged from the room. "Well, did you find something?" Jean asked, sounding like she was afraid to know the answer.

"Yes, I have. I actually didn't get a reading on Scott himself. He's unconscious at the moment. I found him through the eyes of one of his captors," the professor said.

"Clever, I wouldn't have thought to look for him that way," Rachel said.

"I agree, well done, Professor," Hank said. "Who took him and where are they holding him?"

"Does anyone recognize this man?" the professor asked, as he gave each X-Man a mental image of the man who orchestrated Scott's abduction.

"That's the man from the mall!" Rachel said.

"He was the one who recognized Scott. He claimed they went to school together," Jean said, remembering the man in the baseball cap.

"Well, this former classmate of Scott's is a founding member of an anti-mutant society that calls themselves Friends of Humanity," Professor Xavier explained.

Rachel gasped. The same group of people responsible for her mother's death. The professor sent her a warning look. The message was clear - say nothing. It took everything Rachel had not to lash out. Those monsters were responsible for destroying her family. And they were at it again.

"This man, upon recognizing Scott earlier yesterday made the situation personal. He convinced several of his… colleagues, for lack of a better word, to take Scott captive and they ambushed him from behind on his way back to the mansion. They've taken him to an underground bunker on Brownsville."

"How badly is he hurt?" Jean asked, her voice trembling.

"Aside from the small blow to his head to render him unconscious, he's fine," the professor said.

"But for how long?" Ororo asked the question on everyone's minds.

"They want him alive. They have no plans on killing him," the professor answered.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Jean urged.

"Not so fast, Jean. If we break in there without a plan, Scott could very well end up being collateral damage," Professor Xavier said. "Hank, Raven and I will devise a plan which we will go over with all of you an hour before we leave. The rest of you, I want you well rested. Get some sleep. We leave at first light."

"At first light?! We can devise a plan way before then!" Jean argued.

"This is not up for debate, Jean. I want all of you rested before we go. Scott will be fine until then, that I promise you. Scott, above all, would understand the importance of planning and preparing for all outcomes." The professor left no room for argument.

Jean reluctantly turned and walked towards the elevator with Ororo, Kurt and Peter right behind her. Rachel stayed behind wanting a word with the professor. "You lied to them, didn't you?"

Instead of the professor asking what she meant, he surprised her by admitting to it. "I had to. If I told Jean they were torturing him she would have gone after him all by herself. And that would be a disaster waiting to happen."

"Are you sure they have no plans to kill him?" Rachel asked, realizing that her own life hung in the balance as well.

"Absolutely sure. They're enjoying making him suffer too much to end it." Rachel winced at the professor's matter-of-fact tone.

"But for what purpose?" Raven asked.

"To intimidate. To make an example out of him eventually… Because they enjoy it," the professor answered.

"Raven, could you please get a map of the area and bring it to the war room. We'll meet you there in five," Hank said. Raven quickly headed up leaving Hank, Xavier and Rachel behind.

"I don't think you should go, Rachel. This is personal to you. I can sense your rage emanating from you and I'm not even trying," the professor said.

"I'm in control of my emotions… I promise," Rachel said. "Besides, my powers of telepathy and telekinesis will definitely come in handy. Not to mention we don't know how Jean will react when she sees Scott. Remember, she doesn't know he's being tortured."

"I agree with Rachel, Professor. There's no way we can stop Jean from going on this rescue mission short of incapacitating her. And we all know Scott is more to her than just another teammate. Rachel's good insurance," Hank said.

The professor replied, "Have you forgotten, Hank that Scott is more than just another teammate to Rachel as well?"

"I haven't. But she knows better than Jean what to expect. She has first-hand experience with this hate-group. I trust her to hold it together and not compromise the mission," Hank replied.

"Very well. Now it's time to plan."

 **Elsewhere**

Scott was starting to come around. He tried moving but pain shot through his right shoulder. It was so intense, he almost threw up. It was obvious he was badly injured, probably a dislocated shoulder. It was made worse by the fact they chained him to the ceiling by his wrists. He was nauseated and completely disoriented. They must have drugged him with something.

The bastards that took him took turns torturing him. They all beat him until he succumbed to unconsciousness. He had no clothes on. It was freezing cold where he was. He couldn't see anything because they duct-taped his eyes. He was hungry and dehydrated. He tried mentally reaching out to Jean and the professor. It may have been the drugs, or something else, but he couldn't focus.

So, this was what despair felt like.

He heard the door to his cell open. "Ahhh, you're awake Scotty! Good, it's no fun beating an unconscious mutant." It was the voice of the man from the mall. He conjured up an image from his mind. He remembered him. They went to high school together. The guy was a bully, always had been. He remembered everything as if it were yesterday; it was the last day he ever attended a regular school again.

His eyes started to burn during class. The guy seated in front of him to his left accused him of looking at his girlfriend. Scott didn't know what was happening to his eyes, so he rushed to the washroom. The bully followed him, and he accidentally blasted him into the bathroom wall through the stall door. He'd obviously held a grudge all these years.

"I know you," Scott said. "Brady Dunn right? I remember you now… from high school. Why are you doing this to me?"

"Because you ruined my life. That day in the washroom, when you blasted me right into the wall. I suffered a concussion and broken ribs. The next day was the football championship. Scouts were going to be there. It was going to be my shot at the big times. But because of you, I missed out! The next season wasn't any better because I suffered with post-concussion syndrome for months afterwards."

"I'm sorry, it was an accident!" Scott said.

Brady ignored his apology and kept going. "By the time I came back to classes after my injury, you had already gone. I always lamented the fact I never got my revenge on you. But then fate smiled upon me yesterday. The long-lost Scott Summers coming from out of nowhere to play knight and shining armor to a couple of mall rats."

Scott heard the scraping of metal on the floor. Suddenly he took an agonizing blow to his midsection. It might have been a metal pipe, he couldn't see. He couldn't breathe, he was gasping for air. CRACK! Another blow to his side. He could no longer think, he was in so much pain. Then another blow to his back. Brady grabbed him by the hair and said to his ear, "Not so tough anymore are you?"

Scott couldn't respond. He could barely breathe. The sickening sound of his bones fracturing was all he could hear. He tried to summon an image of Jean, tried to separate his mind from the pain his body was enduring. The last blow he took was to his face. He heard Brady laugh and say, "My arms are tired. I'll be back in an hour… can't wait."

Scott could do nothing but let his head hang limp and fall back into unconsciousness.

 **Just outside**

Storm called upon her mastery over the elements to bring down a thick fog over the abandoned warehouse where they believed Scott was being held captive underground. Nightcrawler was in charge of shutting down the electricity to the building. He was in and out of the nearest power grid. When the entire block's electricity was down, that was the rest of the X-Men's cue to move in. Unfortunately, when they got into the warehouse, they realized that there was a backup generator.

There was no way they were going to get in and out quietly. They were definitely going to have to break their way in and break their way out. They'd faced tougher odds in the Danger Room. What was concerning to each and every one of them was making sure Scott was protected at all times. They had to go into this mission assuming he couldn't fend for himself.

The X-Men entered the warehouse. Jean and Rachel could sense a dozen or so armed men underground. Quicksilver was using his speed to search for a way down to the bunker below where Scott was being held. Just when it seemed there wasn't one available, Raven tripped over a latch on the ground. Upon closer inspection, they realized it led to an underground passage.

As they made their way down, Raven said, "Expect trouble. There's no way we can get Scott undetected. Jean can manipulate Scott's captors' minds by giving them the illusion that they've seen nothing, but she can only do that for a few individuals at a time. Too many and we'll be detected."

Beast added, "Also, the fact that we failed to shut off the power here could mean that the moment we break into Scott's cell, it may trigger an alarm. We all have to be ready to fight our way out of here."

The moment they reached ground level, Jean felt Scott's excruciating pain. His agony was palpable she almost fell to her knees. Beside her, Rachel stopped and had to steady herself against the wall, she obviously felt it too. "Scott's hurt, he's that way," Jean said, pointing to the last cell down the hallway.

When they reached the outside of the cell, Jean could hear screams from the other side. His suffering was immense, she didn't waste another second. She blew the cell door open with her telekinesis. In the back of her mind she knew what she did was dangerous, not even warning her teammates before she did it. But all she cared about at the moment was getting to Scott.

"Mein Gott!" Kurt said when he saw Scott. Jean could barely control the rage she felt when she saw him. He was hanging from the ceiling. His legs weren't even holding him up anymore. He was just dangling by his wrists in chains. He was completely naked. Bruises, cuts and burn marks were all over his body. There were four men in the room. One was holding a metal pipe, another a taser-looking item of some sort. They were obviously electrocuting him just then. It was a good thing Peter used his speed to knock all four men out before Jean could get to them. She wasn't sure if she had it in her to let them live.

An alarm had been triggered and it was blaring in the background. It must have been activated when Jean blew the cell door open. Beast pulled the chains from the ceiling to free Scott. They couldn't get the shackles off his wrists, that would have to wait until they could get him back to the mansion. "Scott? It's us, we're here… You're safe now," Jean said. It didn't look like Scott recognized her, so she added, "It's me, Jean."

Scott was incoherent, he was mumbling something Jean couldn't understand. It was obvious he wasn't completely aware of what was going on. Kurt made a motion for Jean to step aside as he wanted to give Scott's spare visor which was in his hand. "Here, mein freund, I'm sure you'll be happy to see again," Kurt said as he took off the duct-tape from his friend's eyes.

But Scott wasn't in his right mind and when the duct-tape came off, a blast of red came straight out and was aimed right at Jean. Jean was so shocked she wasn't even able to create a psionic shield in time to protect herself. But out of nowhere, Rachel jumped in the line of fire between Scott and Jean.

"Rachel, no!" Jean screamed. The blast was so bright Jean was forced to close her eyes for a second. She braced for the impact that would have been Rachel blasted against her… but nothing happened. She looked at Scott. Kurt was able to get him to close his eyes and placed his visors on him.

"What the hell?!" Peter said, incredulously.

"You're not hurt," Raven said.

"Did Rachel just absorb Scott's optic blast?" Ororo asked.

Jean saw that Rachel stood standing between her and Scott seemingly unscathed. She was shocked speechless, she expected to see Rachel in pieces but instead she was completely intact. "No time for that now, we have to get out of here!" Beast yelled, breaking everyone out of their stasis.

"I sense seven men on their way here right now, we've got to move!" Rachel said.

Kurt took off his trench coat and wrapped it around Scott. Beast, as carefully as he could, lifted Scott and put him over his shoulder. The team made their way out. Their exit was blocked by men with guns. Beast made a motion to protect Scott with his body. The FOH members had their weapons raised against them. But they were no match for the combined powers of Jean, Rachel, Storm, Peter and Kurt. They were all taken out in a matter of seconds.

They rushed out of there where a van was waiting for them. Jubilee had their getaway vehicle all prepped. They had basic first aid in the back and Beast and Raven quickly got to working on Scott. They surmised, based on the needle marks on his arms, that he was probably drugged. They patched him up as best as they could until they could get him back to the mansion.

"Rachel, are you alright?" Jean heard Ororo ask. "You took a direct hit from Scott's optic blast, I saw it."

Rachel only nodded. At any other time, Jean would have pressed her for more, but her main concern at the moment was making sure Scott was alright. Not caring who saw her, Jean pulled Scott closer to her and put his head on her lap. She felt him trembling all over. His skin was cold. He was in shock. She didn't know what else to do, so she kept whispering to him again and again, "You're safe now. I'm here. I'm never letting you go."

 **To be continued…**


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 **The mansion – the next day**

Rachel couldn't believe the talk surrounding her about how she "absorbed" Scott's optic blast the night before. The last thing she needed was to draw attention to herself this way. The professor sensed all the chatter as well and called her into his study. Hank was there too.

"Hank told me what happened last night, Rachel. Any side effects from the blast you took?" Xavier asked.

"No, not at all. I'm fine," Rachel answered.

"As I expected as well," Hank said. "Because you and Scott are genetically close, being father-daughter and all that, it would make sense that his optic blasts couldn't hurt you. His optic blasts can't hurt him, even his eyelids, thin as they are, easily restrain his powers."

"Yes, in fact I recall a story Alex Summers shared with me some years ago. He said that Scott accidentally blasted him when he first developed his powers and Alex was never hurt from it," the professor added.

"Your genetic make-up allowed you to metabolize your father's optic blast, almost exactly the same way he does. Hence, he could never hurt himself with his own powers," Hank said.

"Everyone who saw what happened last night are speculating," Rachel said. "Their thoughts have been projecting. Some speculate I have powers that absorb kinetic energy. Others think I was able to put up a psionic shield just in time. But they'll realize soon enough that a psionic shield would have radiated my father's blast outwards which would have hurt those around us. Luckily, no one seems to have come to the conclusion that it's because I'm a Summers."

"They can speculate all they want, Rachel. But you can't tell them the truth," the professor said.

"What if they ask me outright how I was able to do that?" Rachel asked.

"I guess you can tell them that it's part of your mutant ability… to absorb energy," Hank suggested.

"No, Hank. That could pose a danger in the future. If the X-Men were to believe Rachel can absorb all kinetic energy, they may not protect her properly if the time comes. The truth is, Rachel can only withstand her father's optic blast, but no other forms of kinetic energy. The team still needs to know that she's not invulnerable to such an attack," Xavier said.

"Then what do you suggest?" Hank asked.

"I suggest they can speculate all they want. Rachel, if they ask you what happened, you'll tell them that you don't know," the professor said.

"Professor, the others don't know who I really am. They wouldn't believe I'd knowingly risk my life to save a teammate I'm only supposed to have known a couple of months," Rachel argued.

"Perhaps not, but I'm not concerned with the credulity of the lie, only that the truth remains hidden," the professor answered, effectively dismissing her. And with that, Rachel left the room.

 **Meanwhile in the med bay**

Jean was exhausted. She hadn't slept all night. She had stayed in the med bay with Scott the entire time. Various teammates have visited and offered to sit with Scott while she got some rest. She refused. She wasn't ready yet to be parted from him. The reality that she could have lost him was still too close to the surface. It forced her to face a lot of things about herself.

The main thing she had to face was the fact that she loved Scott Summers. She'd had for years, and probably always would. What if Scott had died? She never would have gotten the chance to tell him how she felt. That would have been a regret she didn't know how she could have lived with. Suddenly, the thought of him rejecting her didn't seem so scary anymore.

A scary thought however, was that she could have been very badly hurt, possibly worse, when Scott accidentally fired his optic blast in her direction. She knew without a doubt she had not gotten her psionic shield up in time. If it hadn't been for Rachel, who knew what shape she'd have been in now?

And that was another thing she couldn't stop replaying in her mind. Rachel was hit dead on by Scott's optic blast, but she didn't even budge. Now that Scott was on the road to recovery she'd allowed herself to wonder how Rachel did it.

"Jean?" Scott broke Jean out of her reverie.

"Scott? You're awake. How do you feel?" Jean asked, holding his hand.

"… Thirsty." Scott looked like he wanted to say more, but didn't have the energy. Jean quickly grabbed a plastic cup and poured water for him.

"You've been out for almost 14 hours. I've been so worried," Jean said. "What do you remember?"

"I remember waking up, cold… chained, beaten, tasered… nauseated…"

"Shhh… it's okay, you're safe now," Jean said, cupping Scott's cheek.

"Wait! I remember… I shot at you… I opened my eyes… I wasn't thinking… you're not hurt?!" Scott asked, almost in a panic.

"I'm fine. Everyone's fine. Look at me, I'm fine," Jean said firmly, well aware of the self recrimination soon to follow.

"Wait I… I remember Rachel… she jumped in front of you… I hit her, but it didn't even faze her… I remember seeing it… did I imagine that?" Scott asked.

"No, you didn't imagine that. She did… She probably saved my life," Jean said.

"But how is that possible?" Scott asked.

"I don't know. I was so worried about you I haven't even gotten a chance to talk to her… or thank her," Jean said a bit sheepishly.

"I can't believe I'd be so careless! I could have killed you!" Scott yelled, or at least tried to.

"You were drugged out of your mind! You can't blame yourself!" Jean said, not letting him drown himself in guilt.

"I could have killed you," Scott whispered.

Jean just looked at Scott. She knew whatever she had to say would fall on deaf ears at the moment. She had planned to confess her feelings for him the moment he woke up. Obviously, that wasn't going to happen anymore. She hadn't seen Scott this distraught since his brother died six years ago.

"I'm not going to say this again, Scott. No one was hurt. Kurt should have known better than to take those duct tapes off your eyes before asking you first. Your reflexes were affected by the drugs they gave you. You need to let this go," Jean said, not allowing any room for argument.

Scott looked away from her. She sat there in silence with him for what seemed like hours, but in truth it was probably only a few minutes. Finally, Scott asked, "How long have you been here with me?"

"Since they brought you in," Jean answered.

"Have you not eaten or gotten any rest since?" Scott asked, sounding angry.

"I've slept on and off here, and Hank brought me down some food a couple of times," Jean answered.

"Jean, you've got to get some rest! I'm fine, really. You need to get some sleep… proper sleep I mean. I'll be okay."

"I'm not tired," Jean argued.

"Perhaps you should take him up on his offer, Jean," Rachel said, startling her. Jean realized she must have been more exhausted than she thought if she hadn't sensed Rachel approach like that.

Scott added, "You know, Jean. I kinda wanted to talk to Rachel. Maybe you could grab a bite to eat, bring something back for me too."

"You're sure?" Jean asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine… really," Scott said, squeezing her hand, trying to reassure her.

"Okay then, I'll be back in a few," Jean said. Before leaving, she turned to Rachel. "I never got a chance to thank you for saving my life last night."

"You'd have done the same," Rachel said.

"I'd like to think I would… but…" Jean hesitated.

"No, trust me… you would," Rachel said, giving Jean a hug. Jean sensed Rachel was reluctant to pull away.

"You okay?" Jean asked Rachel.

"Umm… yeah… Anyway, you should get going before there's nothing left from lunch," Rachel said. With that, Jean walked out of the med bay after looking back at Scott one last time.

Scott had wanted a moment alone with Rachel since he woke up but now that he had it, he wasn't sure quite where to begin. How was she not dead, or at the very least, critically injured? He also wanted to get on his knees and offer her his everlasting gratitude for saving the woman he loved. Neither approach seemed right. Instead, he asked, "You look fine, but I still have to ask, did I hurt you last night?"

Rachel hesitated, then answered, "No… I'm umm… right as rain."

"How is that possible?" Scott asked.

"I… ahh… I… don't know," Rachel said not able to meet Scott's eyes, or rather his glasses.

"Why do I get the feeling that you're holding something back?" Scott asked trying his best not to sound accusatory but still wanting answers.

Rachel just shrugged. Scott wished she'd open up to him. From the moment he met her he knew she was someone with secrets. She was a very private person who obviously didn't want others asking questions. Scott didn't sense any duplicity in her, but she really tested a person's curiosity.

Scott pressed on. "I remember a bit more now… the way you looked when you jumped in front of Jean last night. You didn't look like someone who expected to be blown out of the room. You didn't flinch or even shield yourself with your arms. You saw the blast coming, that's why you protected Jean, but if you saw it coming, then you had time to put up a psionic shield… but you didn't."

"A shield would have redirected your optic blast outwards. Raven, Kurt, Peter and Hank might have gotten hurt," Rachel answered.

"Exactly, which leads me to believe you knew exactly what you were doing," Scott said. "I wish you'd confide in me."

Rachel looked torn, she looked like she wanted so badly to say something more, but in the end, all she could say was, "I can't." Scott's heart broke for the young woman in front of him. It was obvious she was torn over something. It was obvious she _wanted_ to confide in him. She all but admitted she was hiding something.

"What happened last night reminded me of something that happened just days after my powers first manifested," Scott said.

"What was that?" Rachel asked.

"Everything was so new to me, I didn't understand yet what was happening. I was with my brother, Alex. He was trying to help me, to figure out if my condition was controllable… You see, he had powers too, not too different from mine actually, just that he was lucky his energy didn't come out of his eyes. Anyway, the professor helped him to learn how to control his powers. Alex wanted to see if he could do the same for me. We were outside when he was trying to teach me when I accidentally blasted him. I opened my eyes at the wrong time…"

"I see… Where are you going with this?" Rachel asked

"What I saw last night when I blasted you was so similar to what I saw when I accidentally did the same to my brother," Scott said.

"What are you implying?" Rachel asked, almost sounding scared.

"I'm not sure… I just… I don't know… I guess I thought I'd share the memory," Scott said, resignedly.

"You and your brother, you were close?" Rachel asked.

"Yes… and no. We had a big age gap, and so we didn't have the same circle of friends nor did we hang out like siblings closer in age tend to do. But he would go out of his way to spend time with me. We both liked to watch the classic Tom and Jerry cartoons. There were afternoons where we would just spend hours watching re-runs together," Scott said, lost in the memories.

After a few awkward moments, Rachel changed the subject. "They never caught the guys who abducted you. After we rescued you, the professor told local enforcement that the FOH were running an illegal operation underground that abandoned warehouse where we got you. They were long gone and although the police are claiming they're continuing to work on apprehending them, I personally doubt it."

"It was Brady Dunn… the guy at the mall. I didn't quite recognize him at first, but I remember now. I accidentally hurt him when my powers first manifested itself. I was in the middle of class when it happened. He followed me into the washroom and that's when I hurt him. Seems he'd never forgiven me for it," Scott said.

"It doesn't matter. You didn't deserve what they did to you!" Rachel said, angrily.

"I know… You can give his name to the authorities, but I doubt he goes by his real name anymore. Someone like that would hide behind aliases anyway," Scott said.

"You've been so concerned about me, I never even got a chance to ask you how you're holding up," Rachel said.

"I've got some fractured ribs, they've put an IV in me and I'm almost fully recovered from dehydration. I had mild hypothermia as well because they left me naked in that freezing cell, but I'm fine now," Scott answered.

"Good, we were all worried about you… especially Jean," Rachel said.

"Really?" Scott asked, hoping he didn't sound too hopeful.

"She was fit to be tied!" Rachel said. "The professor still hadn't come up with a plan to free you yet when we found out where you were being held. We had to hide from Jean the fact you were being tortured. Otherwise, she'd have tried to break you out on her own… Are you mad we waited?"

"Mad? Of course not! You did the right thing," Scott said. "In fact, I don't have the words to thank you for what you did last night."

"You'd have done the same if our situations were reversed."

"I don't just mean coming to rescue me. I mean for what you did… for Jean… Just the thought alone of anything happening to her is enough to make me sick. To think I could have been responsible… that'd kill me," Scott said.

"And if I hadn't jumped in there… if she had died… you'd have never gotten a chance to tell her how you really felt about her. Did that occur to you?" Rachel asked.

"… Yeah… it did," Scott said, sadly.

"And?"

"And what?" Scott asked.

"What are you going to do about it?" Rachel asked.

"Are you suggesting I tell her how I feel?" Scott asked.

"That's exactly what I'm suggesting."

"She's already with Duncan! I missed my chance! For me to tell her how I feel and put her in an awkward position of having to choose between me and her boyfriend would be the epitome of selfishness."

"Oh please! It's not like they're married. Have you not heard a word I've said to you? She was beyond frantic with worry when you went missing. Don't get me wrong, we were all worried, but none of us were ready to break you out of there all by ourselves. Jean had gone so pale with worry it made her hair look brighter than a stop light! Do you not find it odd that someone who only cares about you as a friend would forego sleep and proper nutrition for the last fourteen plus hours to sit with you while you're unconscious?!" Rachel ranted, obviously exasperated.

"I… I just… I'm…"

"You're a coward is what you are. You'd rather pine for her from afar than risk being rejected," Rachel said.

"That's not true!" Scott said, trying to deny the truth in her words.

"Oh, it isn't? You're not afraid of putting her in an awkward position. You're afraid that if you gave her a chance to choose that she might not choose you!"

"And if she doesn't?"

"And if she does?" Rachel countered. "Life is so precarious, we never know if today could be our last day. Why not try to grab happiness whenever the opportunity presents itself… Lord knows the opportunities are so few and far between… Trust me to know."

"… _I_ wouldn't choose me," Scott said, dejectedly.

"Then I guess it's your good fortune she's not you," Rachel said.

Scott was about to say maybe she was right when Jean came back. "Hey, Scott I brought you down some mac and cheese, you okay with that?"

"Umm, yeah that looks good, thanks," Scott said.

Jean looked back and forth between Rachel and Scott, obviously sensing the tension in the air. "Did I interrupt something?"

"Not at all, I was just heading out," Rachel said, heading towards the exit. But before she left, she turned around and said to Scott, "Think about what I said."

Scott could only nod.

 **To be continued…**


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

 **Christmas Eve 1989**

Scott had done a lot of thinking since his talk with Rachel in the med bay a couple of weeks ago. That girl certainly had a way with words. Scott had never felt this confident before in regards to Jean. So much so, that he'd gathered his courage and purchased two tickets to see Whitney Houston a week after New Year's Day. He knew the singer was a favorite of Jean's and he planned to ask her out. And he had plans to make sure that Jean understood that he was asking her out on a date and not just as a friend.

God, he hoped he was doing the right thing. First off, the tickets cost him an arm and a leg. An old buddy of his had connections with the ticket distributors so he got premium seats. However, the premium seats also had premium prices. But Jean was worth it, and if the night turned out the way he was hoping it would, then the tickets would be worth it too.

He bumped into Rachel shortly before he left to pick up the tickets. He was having a bit of self doubt just then, and a part of him wondered if Rachel sensed it. He wouldn't put it past her to accidentally, _on purpose_ , bump into him. He remembered their conversation.

"Hey Scott, you just coming in?" Rachel asked.

"Umm… no, I was thinking about going out to buy something," Scott answered.

"If you're thinking about going out, then why are you taking off your shoes… shouldn't you be putting them on?" Rachel asked, obviously noticing that Scott was taking off his left shoe.

"I was having second thoughts." Scott continued in a whisper, "I considered your advice from last night. I was going to pick up a couple of Whitney Houston concert tickets. I was going to ask Jean out with me, but then I thought maybe it was too extravagant for a first date… Maybe dinner and a movie would be better… or maybe…"

"Stop chickening out, and put that shoe back on!" Rachel practically hissed. "Has no one ever told you that your first instinct is usually the correct one? If your first instinct was to get those concert tickets, then by God, follow through."

"Okay, okay, sheesh… You know, this is tough. What if Jean only cares about me as a friend? What if we both misinterpreted her concern for me after I was abducted?" Scott asked, worriedly.

Rachel gave him this "what the F-" look. "Really? Do we have to go over this again?"

"I mean, how do you know how she feels? You say it so confidently, but how do you truly know for sure?" Scott asked.

"I know what everyone feels," Rachel answered.

Scott couldn't help but chuckle. Jean had said the exact same thing to him six years ago. Alex had just died hours before and Scott was in the depths of despair. He remembered telling Jean how he wished it was him who died. Jean told him how Alex wouldn't have felt that way and that he thought Scott was the one who was going to change the world. He cast doubt on what she was saying, asking her how she could possibly know what Alex felt. "I know what everyone feels," was Jean's answer.

Scott couldn't help but notice how much Rachel reminded him of Jean, in so many little ways. The way she would crinkle her nose whenever he said something she thought was ridiculous. The way she lifted her left eyebrow when she didn't believe what someone was saying. The other day he had walked by her classroom and heard her laugh at something. He had to peek inside the classroom because the laugh sounded so much like Jean's.

Perhaps he was imagining things. Maybe it was from thinking about Jean almost all the time. Who knew? But either way, he was glad to have a friend like Rachel. Lord knew he wouldn't have found the courage to do what he was about to do.

Scott had about another mile to walk before getting back to the mansion. He had to walk slowly and gingerly due to his healing ribs. They were still causing him a tremendous amount of pain. Then he remembered that his favorite coffee shop was just around the corner. He decided to stop by, take a breather and have himself a nice warm drink.

Another thing that had given him a bit of confidence lately was how close he and Jean had gotten since his abduction. Their old closeness was back. He suffered from nightmares the first few nights after his abduction. But Jean, through her psychic powers, knew whenever he had a nightmare and was by his side the moment he woke up. They were spending a lot of time together.

For the first few days after they brought him back to the mansion, Jean would spend every waking hour with him outside of her classes. She'd read to him, she'd chat with him, she'd bring him down food. They talked about everything and nothing and it was great. Sometimes they'd just sit together, not saying anything, and just listen to music. That awkwardness between them the last year all but dissipated in the wake of their new-found closeness.

They were back to kidding around with each other. He even found that he was comfortable irritating her again, just like when they first met. He laughed out loud when he remembered the time they were hanging out at the mall six years ago. They were in that record shop and Scott held up a Boy George album and asked Jean, "Anyone ever tell you, you look like this?" Jean had called him an asshole, but it made Scott laugh because it made Jean smile at the time, despite her annoyance.

The night before, Jean was grading papers and Scott was trying to get her attention. He was being a bit of a brat, albeit a playful one, trying to get her to notice him rather than her work. "Jeeeaan… do you want a hug?" Scott asked.

Jean didn't look up from her papers. "No… don't you have papers to grade too?"

"Jeeeaan… do you even know what I just said?" Scott persisted.

"Yes, Scott," Jean said, as if she was talking to one of her students. She still hadn't looked up.

"What did I say then?" Scott asked.

"Do you want a hug?" Jean replied.

"Well, if you insist," Scott said, proceeding to embrace Jean in a huge bear hug.

Instead of getting annoyed like Scott half expected her to, she actually returned his hug. She placed her head on his shoulder and just stayed there for several moments. Scott's playful game turned into one of the sweetest moments of his life. He went to bed the night before with a grin plastered to his face.

But one thing that made Scott worry was that for the past couple of weeks, Jean seemed like she wanted to talk to him about something… something serious it seemed. The hopeful part of him wondered if Jean was going to confess her feelings for him. But then the negative part of him… the bigger part of, dreaded the fact that Jean maybe wanted to address their friendship and remind him that that's all they'd ever be. So, every time Jean tried to talk to him, he'd change the subject, he'd talk about something frivolous like movies or music or TV… anything really, to avoid his heart being crushed.

But then he realized they couldn't go on like that forever. He had to take the leap… come what may. Hence, the really expensive tickets sitting in his wallet. He was just a street across from the coffee shop when he glimpsed a familiar face. It was Jean, sitting outside on the patio, having a drink. Scott took a few more steps, he was about to join her when the sight of Duncan joining her at her table stopped him in his tracks.

She got up to greet him, a welcoming smile on her face. Duncan bent down to kiss her on the lips, then she made a move to hug him. They sat back down at the table, Duncan still holding her left hand. The image of the two of them together struck Scott like a direct blow to the gut. Before he could recover, Scott was honked at by an angry cab driver. Only then did he realize he was standing in the middle of the street. Scott quickly looked back at Jean hoping she didn't turn towards the commotion. Luckily, she was too engrossed with Duncan. He would have been mortified if she saw him!

Scott quickly stepped back onto the curb and walked away as fast as his still-healing-injuries would allow him. He could barely breathe, and he wasn't entirely convinced it was because of his fractured ribs. He cursed himself the entire walk back. Cursed himself for being an idiot. Cursed himself for getting his hopes up, for letting his heart overcome his head… But most of all, he cursed himself for believing, even for a moment, that dreams had anything to do with reality.

 **Two hours later**

Jean was just brimming with excitement. Today was the day she was going to confess her feelings for Scott. She had tried a few times in the last couple of weeks since his abduction. It never worked out, they either got interrupted and the moment was lost, or Scott kept trying to change the subject whenever she tried to talk to him seriously.

A part of her was a little scared that Scott had an inkling of what she wanted to talk to him about, and therefore purposely avoided the conversation. But she wasn't going to let that stop her. She was going to tell him everything. Let the chips fall where they may.

In many ways, she was glad she didn't get a chance to tell Scott yet. She had unfinished business with Duncan. She had just parted ways with him at the Cup 'O Joe's and she felt a lightness in her heart she hadn't felt in quite some time.

She was honest with Duncan. She told him he was a wonderful guy and that it wasn't him, that it was her, but that her heart belonged to someone else. It was all very cliché, and a part of her cringed when imagining how it sounded like to him. But every word was true. She was in love with Scott and it wasn't fair to Duncan. Imagine her relief when he took it so well. He told her that he could sense that her heart wasn't in it, and that he hoped she found what she was looking for.

So now, Jean was very eager to see Scott, to confess her heart. However, much to her disappointment, he wasn't in the mansion. She went around and asked anyone she came across if they'd seen Scott. Ororo and Kurt hadn't seen him since early that morning. Rachel mentioned that he went to buy something, but he should have been back. With her frustration mounting, Jean tried reaching out to Scott telepathically to ask him where he was.

There was no answer. More than that, it felt like Scott was deliberately trying to block her. That couldn't be… why would he do that? Jean tried again… but nothing. He was either trying to block her or he was too far away. Jean liked neither alternative. So, she went in search of the professor to see if he knew where Scott had gone. She knocked twice on the professor's door before letting herself in.

"Jean, what brings you to see me?" The Professor asked.

"I was wondering if you knew where Scott was. According to Rachel, he's been gone a while and I'm worried about him since he's not fully healed from his injuries. More than that, I've tried reaching out to him telepathically and I've had no success," Jean explained.

"Yes, he came to me about an hour ago, and said he needed time away and that he'll be back perhaps a week or two after the New Year," the professor answered.

"Time away? You mean to spend Christmas with his folks?" Jean asked. That was strange. He said he wasn't going to visit them until tomorrow morning and only for a day or two. More than that, Jean was hurt that Scott didn't even bother telling her he'd be away for several weeks.

"He didn't say much, only that with everything that's happened lately, he needed time to himself," the professor said. "Now that I look back on it, it does seem strange. He seemed in high spirits this morning, but when I saw him last I could tell he wasn't in the best of moods."

"Well… You know how Scott can get when he's not feeling well. I know his ribs have been bothering him and he really hates that he can't train in the Danger Room with the rest of us…" Jean offered.

"Perhaps…" the professor said, not sounding convinced.

"Do you know where he is right now, Professor?" Jean asked.

"Yes, he did say he'd be spending the time with his foster parents," Xavier answered.

"Oh, I see," Jean said, trying not to let her disappointment show. She didn't want to intrude on his family time. Ever since Alex's death, Scott hadn't spent much time in his childhood home. She also didn't know his foster parents well enough to know whether or not they'd welcome a friend of their son's on Christmas Eve.

"Jean…" the professor said, interrupting her thoughts. "See him… Whatever it is that's weighing heavily on his mind… I have a feeling only you can ease his burdens."

"What do you mean?" Jean asked.

"It's just a feeling I have… Go on, see him. You know where his foster parents live, I assume?" the professor asked.

"Yes… it's not that, it's just that I don't want to intrude. I don't know his family well enough to know if I'd be welcome," Jean answered.

"Does it matter? Scott needs you," the professor said.

"No… no, I guess not."

It was about two hours later when Jean arrived at Scott's parents' house. She had been standing on their front steps for a couple of minutes already. She was still debating whether or not to let her presence be known. Finally, her better sense took over and she knocked on the door. It wasn't until the fifth knock that the door opened.

Scott's lean frame filled the doorway. He was wearing a plain blue shirt and his jeans looked like they'd seen better days. His large masculine feet were bare, and he was sporting a bit of a stubble. His hair was all disheveled and his glasses were a bit lopsided. He was beautiful to her. Her heart raced faster.

"What are you doing here, Jean?" Scott asked. Jean was taken aback by his curt tone. It wasn't exactly the welcome she'd been expecting, or rather, hoping for. Her confidence fell a little.

"I wanted to see you. Are your folks home?" Jean asked.

"They went to a friend's house for Christmas Eve dinner," Scott said.

"And you didn't go with them?" Jean asked.

"I'm not good company right now."

"Well, I could be good enough company for the both of us," Jean said, trying to lighten Scott's sour mood. When he didn't say anything, Jean asked, "May I come in?"

After a split-second hesitation, Scott stepped aside. "If you'd like."

Jean followed Scott into the living room. His parents' house was very nice. There was a fireplace going in the middle of the living room, although that didn't help to warm her up. Scott's cold reception had done nothing but make her even more nervous.

Scott's manner was… different. A lot of the X-Men made fun of Scott behind his back for being so formal all the time… so stiff and serious. But he wasn't like that with her. Especially not in the last two weeks since his abduction. His usual steady warmth was missing. She had no idea if she had done something to upset him or if something happened that was completely unrelated to her. It was obvious he was upset about something.

She looked around the room. There was a blanket haphazardly thrown across the couch. There was an unopened bottle of vodka on the coffee table and George Orwell's novel 1984 right beside it. "1984… Cheerful choice," Jean said, trying to start a conversation.

Scott shrugged. "It suited my mood."

Jean waited for him to elaborate more. When he didn't, she awkwardly said, "You left your Nintendo at the mansion. The professor mentioned you had plans to stay here until after the New Year… So, I… umm brought it for you. It's in the car."

"I'm not in the mood for games… but thanks," Scott said. "Why did you come here, Jean?"

"You left so abruptly… I was worried. It's not like you to leave for a few weeks and not tell me… I also thought we should have a talk," Jean answered. What was going on behind those ruby quartz glasses? She'd gotten so used to interpreting Scott's various expressions. At the moment, however, she couldn't read him at all.

"Alright then, what did you want to talk about?" Scott asked.

"I wanted to talk about us," Jean said. She noticed Scott took a deep breath, then slumped his shoulders as if in defeat.

"Okay, go ahead and have your say. Or should I just say it for you?" Scott said.

"You _know_ what I want to say?" Jean asked, lifting her brow.

Scott returned her look with a lift of his brow as well. "You want to tell me that you value my friendship, that it means a lot to you, and you enjoy spending time with me."

"True…" Jean said, cautiously, sensing some sort of trap.

"However, our friendship means too much to you and you don't want to give me the wrong idea. Being the incredibly talented telepath that you are, you've sensed my feelings growing stronger and stronger for you each day, and you just want to nip it in the bud -"

"Scott I -"

"The last thing you want to do is hurt my feelings, so you can't let me go on thinking that there'd ever be any hope for the two of us to be more than just friends."

"That's not what I was going to say!" Jean said.

Scott didn't even seem to hear her. Scott, quietly sat on the sofa, put his head in his hands, and whispered, "You're with Duncan. I get it. I accept it."

Jean knelt in front of Scott and took both his hands in her own. "Scott look at me."

"Please, Jean… Please go. Don't say it… Don't say anything," Scott said, not looking up. Jean ached fiercely for the hurt she saw in Scott. She regretted with all her heart that she hadn't said something sooner. She felt remorse for being a coward and not confessing her feelings to him.

"Scott, I'm sorry that -"

"Don't be sorry," Scott interrupted her. "I knew you were with Duncan, but I tried to ignore it. I thought maybe you two weren't that serious. I thought maybe if you started seeing me in a different light that you would… I don't know… Anyway, I can't do this anymore. I thought I could live with being just your friend, but I can't. It's not your fault. It's my fault trying to convince myself that I could live that way. But I want more."

"Scott, what I was going to say is -" Jean tried again.

Again, Scott interrupted her. "I'll always be here for you if you ever need anything, Jean. I just… I just don't want to spend time outside of work with you. It would just hurt too much for me. I hope you understand."

"Are you finished?" Jean asked.

Scott nodded. Jean had heard enough. Now that she knew the truth about how Scott felt for her, there was no need for further explanation. She leaned forward and without request, pressed her lips to his.

Scott was stunned frozen at Jean plunging headlong into a kiss. It definitely caught him off guard. In the back of his mind, he realized it wasn't the way he had imagined their first kiss would be. But then, he figured that most first kisses rarely went according to plan… not that he had anything planned anymore after seeing Jean with Duncan earlier that afternoon.

When Jean finally broke off the kiss, she leaned back and asked, "Are you still sure that was what I wanted to say?"

Scott was still speechless. So, Jean continued. "I was going to say that I love you. I love you so very much, Scott… And no, I don't mean just as a friend."

Scott's first reaction was one of overwhelming joy. The woman he loved just told him she loved him too. He had to look at the vodka on the coffee table to make sure he hadn't drank all of it and now was just hallucinating this whole scenario. But then his insecurities began creeping up on him. "Do you really mean that, Jean? What about Duncan?"

"I ended things with him today. I told him the truth… that I was in love with someone else," Jean said.

So, that's why she was with him today at the coffee shop. "I – I can't provide for you, not in the way that Duncan could. I can't give you a luxury penthouse in downtown Manhattan. I can't shower you with jewelries and expensive vacations. I can't get you connections in the modelling world… Do you realize what you're giving up?"

"Do you realize what I'm gaining?" Jean asked. "I'm gaining a man who sat through six hours of chick flicks just because I asked him to… I'm gaining a man who cancelled his boys' night out that had been planned for weeks because I came down with the flu… I'm gaining a man who can make me laugh no matter what my mood is… I'm gaining a man who has risked his life time and time again for me, and more than that, I wouldn't mind doing the same for him."

"But Jean I -"

"I'm not looking for a fancy luxury apartment in the heart of New York. I don't want jewelries or to travel the world. And modelling is a hobby. I have no aspirations to become the next Cindy Crawford," Jean said.

"I couldn't bear it if you came to regret your decision down the road," Scott said.

"Do you know what I need?" Jean asked. "I need to know we have a future together. A future where I fall asleep in your arms each night, and wake up with you next to me. I need your advice, although I won't always follow it. I need to share your joys and your sorrows. I need to be a part of the family we'll create together one day." Blinking away sudden tears, her voice cracking, Jean said, "Most of all, Scott, I need you to love me as much as I love you."

Scott didn't need anymore persuading than that. He took Jean in his arms. He was in heaven. He kissed her, a kiss of pure possession. Scott felt such relief. He held her tight against him, not wanting to let go. Jean seemed to feel the same as she clung to him, her arms wrapped around his neck. "I love you, Jean… I have for so long. I think I started falling in love with you the day I first saw you."

Jean laughed. "Not the day you first bumped into me then?"

"Nah, you were still the weird girl lurking around in my head," Scott said, teasingly.

When Jean didn't laugh, Scott looked down and noticed she had a serious expression. "What is it, Jean?"

"Why did you leave so abruptly? You were supposed to visit your folks tomorrow and only for a day or two, not for several weeks. You were in such a good mood last night… What happened between then and now?" Jean asked.

Damn. She didn't know he had seen her and Duncan earlier. Well, Scott figured that if today was going to be the first day of the rest of their lives together, he was going to come clean. He explained to Jean how he had bought them Whitney Houston concert tickets. He told her how he had plans to ask her out on a date and see if he stood a chance against Duncan. And he told her how he got the wrong idea when he saw her and Duncan together at the Cup 'O Joe's.

"You saw us?" Jean asked.

Scott smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I should have said something… But it was easier to pretend it never happened… easier for my pride I guess. I'm sorry I ran off like that. I promise, I'll communicate better in the future."

"I'm sorry too, I can only imagine how that would have looked to you. I can't imagine how I would have felt in your shoes," Jean said, understanding in her voice.

Scott took her hands in his. "You'll never find out. I promise you that."

Jean and Scott cuddled together on the couch. For a while they didn't say much, just enjoyed each other's company. Scott insisted that Jean stay there until his folks got back home. Even though she'd met them before, he wanted to introduce her, this time as his girlfriend. She agreed saying she wanted to be a part of every aspect of his life, not just the part at Xavier's school.

Changing the topic, Jean asked, "I can't believe you got us Whitney Houston tickets! Those things were sold out in minutes. How did you do it?"

"I know a guy," Scott said, simply.

"Well I can't wait to go! I'm so excited. You're the best, Scott," Jean said, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him on the cheek.

"Actually, I can't take all the credit. I was the one who picked out the concert, but it was Rachel who gave me the idea of taking you to a concert as a first date," Scott said.

"Remind me to thank Rachel for the brilliant idea the next time I see her," Jean said. "Scott… is it just me, or has Rachel really encouraged you to get together with me?"

"Umm… I was wondering the same thing actually," Scott said, chuckling. "She was playing cupid so much a part of me wondered if there was anything in it for her if we got together."

Jean and Scott laughed at that. "I think she's just a wonderful friend who saw two people who clearly loved each other, but couldn't get on the same page," Jean said.

"Yeah, I'm sure that's it." And with that, Scott and Jean snuggled closer together, just enjoying each other's company.

 **To be continued…**


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

 **Christmas Morning 1989**

She should have been happy. Rachel saw her parents arrive back together at the mansion late the night before. They had been giggling and holding hands looking like a couple of love-struck teenagers. Their happiness radiated off them so strongly. One didn't need to be a telepath to realize they'd finally taken the next step in their relationship. The turn of events probably just ensured she'd at least be born.

So why wasn't she happy? She sat at the top of the stairs watching her parents say goodbye to each other. "Call me when you get to your parents' place," Scott said, handing Jean her bag.

"Of course. I'm going to miss you… Next year, you're coming with me," Jean said, kissing Scott. Rachel couldn't help but smile, noticing the two not bothering to hide their new relationship status.

"Absolutely. And I'll miss you too, but we'll see each other before New Year's Eve, right?" Scott asked.

"You bet your cute butt we will!" Jean said, laughing.

Scott laughed too. "Will you be telling your parents about me… about us?" Scott asked.

"I want you to be there when I do, like we did with your parents last night. How about we have dinner with my folks on New Year's Day?" Jean suggested.

"Sounds like a plan!" Scott said.

"How are your ribs feeling?" Jean asked, concern evident in her voice.

"Much better. Really, don't worry about it. Enjoy your time with your parents, you rarely see them these days."

"If you're sure," Jean said, a bit reluctantly. The two embraced one last time and Jean got in her car and drove off. Scott stood by the door watching her drive off, a silly grin plastered to his face. When Jean was out of sight, he walked back up the stairs and saw Rachel sitting at the top.

"I guess you saw that?" Scott asked Rachel, smiling.

Rachel just smiled back. "Come on, Scott… You can say it, 'Rachel you were riiii…'-"

"Right. Yes, Rachel you were right," Scott said, laughing, obviously being a good sport.

"You going back to your folks' place?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah, I'm just heading back up to my room to grab my bag and head on out. I just wanted to see Jean off first," Scott said, moving past Rachel. "What about you? What are your plans?"

Rachel answered, "Oh umm… just hanging around here. Probably watch some Christmas specials on television."

"But you'll be here all by yourself," Scott said. "Everyone's leaving to visit family. Even the professor is spending the next few days with Moira."

"I don't mind. I'll have the mansion all to myself. I wouldn't mind the quiet." Rachel tried her best to put on a happy façade.

"Why don't you come have Christmas dinner with my family?" Scott asked. Jean had actually asked Rachel that same thing a few days ago. As much as she would have loved to, that would have been impossible. She didn't know what the consequences were if her parents' parents saw her before the right time.

"No, thank you. I really wanted to get some things done and I was looking forward to some quiet time. Don't worry about me," Rachel said.

"Are you sure? No one should be alone on Christmas," Scott said.

"I'm absolutely sure. Now go on, you need to get an early start," Rachel said, encouraging Scott to leave her.

"Okay…" Scott said, reluctantly. "If you change your mind, here's the number to my folks' place."

"Thanks," Rachel said, taking the slip of paper that Scott used to jot down his parents' number. With that, Scott ran upstairs.

Left with nothing but her thoughts, Rachel had to fight hard not to let her sadness overwhelm her. She once read somewhere that suicides were particularly high during Christmas time. She could now understand why. Yes, her parents in this time were now together, and she was definitely happy about that… But she still felt this deep melancholy. She was also worried about how her time in the past has affected her future. Had she changed how her parents got together? If so, what would the consequences be?

She wished she'd asked them more questions about their early years together when she was younger. It never even occurred to her to do so. They just always looked like they'd been together forever. She took it for granted. She sat there realizing that she took _a lot_ of things for granted. Although her heart warmed at the thought that her parents in this time were having a wonderful Christmas, she felt so alone because she wasn't a part of their lives. Not in the way that she should have been.

She thought of her father and brother. Were they having Christmas too at that moment? She could only imagine how terrible their Christmas would be. Her mother was gone in her time. Rachel would be missing to them. She regretted not telling her brother, Nathan what she had planned to do. But he would have insisted in going with her and she couldn't have had that.

She thought back to her last Christmas. The memory was still so vivid in her mind. "Jean, honey, hurry up, we're about to open presents!" her father said, calling her mother.

"I'm coming, I just went to grab the camera," her mother said, bounding down the stairs with the new Nikon DSLR camera Rachel got her for her birthday.

Rachel had already been twenty years old at the time, and acted like she was too cool for presents. However, she had still secretly opened and rewrapped all the presents with her name on it a few nights before. She chuckled remembering how guilty she felt, but also how disappointed she was with the presents she thought her parents had gotten her.

Little did she know that her mom had been one step ahead of her. Her mom had put all the wrong names on the Christmas presents so Rachel wouldn't know which ones were actually hers. She hadn't realized until Christmas morning that the gifts she had secretly opened were her father's and brother's. Mom one – Rachel zero.

"Here is your real present, sweetheart. It's from your dad and I," Jean had said, handing Rachel a tiny blue box.

"Thanks, mom." Rachel opened the box and inside was a key. She had to do a double take to realize the key had a Mazda emblem on it. "No way! OH MY GOD!" Rachel wasted no time and ran outside to see a blue Mazda CX5 SUV with a big bow on it.

"I take it you like it?" Her dad asked.

"I love it!" Rachel almost squealed.

"Good, because your father and I hated that Smart Car you bought. I get anxiety every time you take that little toy out for a drive. Now you've got a bigger vehicle which will be safer for you," her mom said, giving her a hug. "Now promise me you'll sell that piece of -"

"I will, I will!" Rachel said, laughing.

Later that evening after dinner, she and her dad had some time alone, just the two of them in the family room. She noticed her dad just watching her mom in the kitchen baking cupcakes with Nathan. The last few years as she'd gotten older she wondered more and more about what made her parents' marriage so successful when most relationships around them fell apart. Perhaps that was what compelled her to ask her father that night, "Dad, do you think mom's pretty?"

"No…"

"Oh…" Rachel thought her father meant not anymore. But she looked at her mother and thought she was still gorgeous.

"Well… do you still want to be with her forever?"

"No…" her father said, not taking his eyes off her mother.

"Ummm… would you at least cry if she left you?" Rachel asked, getting really annoyed with her father's answers.

"No…"

"If yours and mom's lives hung in the balance, would you pick her life or yours?"

"Mine…"

"But I always thought you'd do anything for her!" Rachel said, throwing her hands up in the air.

"Nope…"

"Oh my god! That's awful, and to think…" Rachel couldn't even find the words to express her disappointment with her father. She got up and was about to walk away, when her father grabbed her hand and pulled her down beside him.

"Sweetheart, I don't think your mother's pretty, she is _beautiful_. I don't want to be with her forever, I _need_ to be with her forever. I wouldn't cry if she left me, I'd just die. The reason why I wouldn't do anything for her, is because I'd do _everything_ for her… And the reason why I would choose my life is because _she is_ my life."

Rachel kept going back to those words in the days after her mother died. Her father hadn't lied. He did die when her mother did. Perhaps not in the physical sense. But in every other sense, he had ceased to live. In many ways, Rachel going back to the past wasn't just trying to save her mother, it was trying to save her father as well.

It was memories like those that Rachel kept close to her heart. But it was those same memories that weighed her heart down with immense sadness. In such a short amount of time, she had lost everything.

She was glad that she had things to do there in the past. Her work as a teacher at the school kept her busy and her loneliness at bay for the most part. But spending so much time with people she was so close to, and not having the same relationships was taking its toll. Back in her time, it used to annoy her when her many "aunts" and "uncles" treated her like their little niece instead of a grown woman; a member of the X-Men.

Rachel supposed it's true what they said, be careful what you wish for. She missed her Aunt Ororo, her Uncle Kurt, Uncle Peter and Uncle Hank. And although this time's Hank knew who she really was, it still wasn't the same. Here, she was Rachel, the new teacher. She wasn't the Rachel they all had a hand in helping raise along with her parents. Here, she wasn't her father's little girl. She wasn't her mother's baby. She was… a friend. And although it was quite the experience being friends with one's own parents, it was a poor substitute for what her heart craved.

So, she found herself wandering the mansion all alone, replaying past Christmases in her mind. She looked out the window and watched Scott get in his car and drive away. Rachel sighed, it was going to be a long, lonely day.

 **Later that evening**

Jean drove up to the mansion and parked her car in her usual parking spot. She had meant to stay for a few days at her parents' house and come back just before New Year's Eve. But she couldn't stop thinking about Rachel spending Christmas all alone. So, she kissed her parents goodbye, told them she'd be back the following evening and that she wanted to spend the last few hours of Christmas with her friend.

Aside from Scott, she couldn't recall a time when she got so close to a friend so quickly. She'd only known Rachel for a few months, but she felt a connection with her. And although she'd never read Rachel's mind, and would never do so without permission, she'd always felt the woman's sadness. It was always there, like a cloud hovering over her. Oh, she would always put on a happy smile and most people were fooled by it, but Jean wasn't. And she knew it wasn't just the Christmas season. It had been there from the day she met her.

Jean wasn't stupid. She knew there was more to Rachel than she was letting on. With how much affection she spoke of her family, Jean couldn't believe that something as little as distance could keep her away from them for Christmas.

Things just didn't add up with her friend. Interestingly enough, it just occurred to Jean that she'd never caught any stray thoughts from Rachel. Not even once. That has never happened with anyone before. People in general had a tendency to think loudly.

Even the professor has let a frivolous thought slip out every now and again even if it was something as mundane as 'damn'. But not Rachel. She wondered if Rachel went out of her way to be extra careful around Jean. In a way, Jean was a little hurt by it. It meant Rachel didn't fully trust her. But she also had no idea what Rachel had been through in her young life, and everyone's entitled to their privacy.

Jean let herself into the mansion and went straight to the main living room. Before she even got there, she could hear Julie Andrews' familiar soprano singing 'My Favorite Things'. She stood by the door and saw Rachel watching The Sound of Music on television. Funny that, she would have been doing the exact same thing at her parents' house had she not left.

"That's one of my favorite films, you know," Jean said.

Rachel turned around, a surprised look on her face. "Jean! Oh my god, you scared me! I was so absorbed in the movie I didn't detect you telepathically. What are you doing here?" Rachel asked.

"It's a good thing I'm not a bad guy," Jean said. She had to suppress a laugh at the look on Rachel's face when she realized she wasn't alone. She knew as a telepath that Rachel was mentally kicking herself for letting her guard down.

"Yeah, I'd be dead now if you were," Rachel said. "You umm… didn't answer my question. What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with your parents?"

"I spent the day with them, and I'm going back tomorrow morning. But I didn't want you to be alone on Christmas," Jean said, sitting next to her.

"You don't have to feel sorry for me, Jean. I'm okay. As you can see, Julie Andrews is doing a fine job of keeping me company," Rachel said, pointing at the television for emphasis.

"I didn't come back because I felt sorry for you -" Jean started. Rachel just gave her a raised eye-brow as if to say "liar". "Okay, maybe a little. But you know what? It isn't a chore for me to be here. I really enjoy your company. You're like a sister to me."

"Ummm… thanks… I guess," Rachel said, a bit awkwardly. Jean hugged Rachel to bring her point across even more. After a few moments, Jean changed the subject. "Rachel, if you don't mind my asking… You're very smart and beautiful, I find it hard to believe you don't have a boyfriend. I mean, I know you mentioned that your mom just passed away and that your family is far, but what about a significant other?"

"Well, there have been guys that have come and gone. But none really stuck around. My dad was a bit overprotective and most just got too intimidated to keep trying," Rachel said shrugging.

Jean laughed. "Wow, that's quite the dad you have. What did he do to scare them?"

"Hmm… Let's just say… his looks could kill," Rachel answered wryly.

"Ahhh, one of those huh? But you did mention you were his only daughter, right?"

"Yeah, he was always more protective of me than my brother. It used to bother me. With my powers, I couldn't really get taken advantage of… but now, I would give anything to have my dad back, his annoying self and all," Rachel said.

"How about your mom, was she overprotective too?" Jean asked.

"Not with the boys, no. My mom knew well enough that the only hurt I would suffer would be the emotional kind. No, she was more practical, worrying about things like how small my car was… if I were to get into an accident, that sort of thing. Yeah, my mom and dad, they balanced each other out."

"It sounds like you had great parents," Jean said.

"The best…" Rachel whispered.

Rachel and Jean turned towards the television and watched a little more of The Sound of Music. Just after the Do Re Mi song ended, Rachel turned to Jean and said, "You know, since you're here, I guess I could give you your present now." Rachel went across the room where the Christmas tree was and grabbed a red gift-wrapped present under the tree.

"I hope you like it," Rachel said, handing the gift to Jean.

"Thanks, you didn't have to get me anything." Jean proceeded to open the gift and gasped when she saw it. It was a first edition of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, published in 1843. It was in excellent condition considering how old it was. "My god, Rachel. How in the world did you get your hands on a copy?"

Rachel shrugged. "I know of this rare bookstore in Manhattan. I wasn't actually looking for a present for you at the time, but I came across it while I was shopping and thought of you."

"But this must have cost a fortune!" Jean exclaimed, still not believing she had an original copy of her favorite book in her hands.

"That's not important. And think of it this way, you can read the book to your children in the future, continue the tradition your dad started," Rachel said. Jean hugged Rachel, tears brimming in her eyes.

"Thank you… I'll cherish this book forever," Jean said.

Jean and Rachel were jolted from their hug when a deep masculine voice said from the doorway, "Jean? What are you doing here?"

"Scott?" Jean and Rachel said in unison. They looked at each other and cringed. Two telepaths both missed Scott come in. ** _Well, good thing he wasn't a villain otherwise we'd both be toast_ ,** Rachel said to Jean telepathically.

"What are you doing here, Scott?" Jean asked.

"I just asked you the same thing," Scott said, leaning down to kiss Jean. "I didn't want Rachel to be alone for Christmas, so I told my folks I'd be back tomorrow."

"I guess we were on the same page," Jean said, getting up and hugging Scott. Jean then proceeded to gush about her new present to Scott and showing him the book.

"Wow, Rachel, it's a good thing I gave Jean her present this morning because I definitely couldn't have lived up to yours!" Scott said, laughing.

"A small piece of advice, Scott…" Rachel said, "Always remember everything she says… it'll make gift giving that much easier."

"I'll keep that in mind," Scott said.

"Well, since you're here, I've got a little something for you too," Rachel said, getting up from the couch and picking a green gift-wrapped present under the tree.

"Here you go, Scott. Merry Christmas," Rachel said, handing him her gift.

Scott immediately ripped the gift wrap off and opened the box. It was a Tom and Jerry hand-painted ceramic figurine. It had Jerry running with a piece of cheese in his hands and Tom chasing right behind him. The craftsmanship of the piece was exquisite. "My god, thank you, Rachel!" Scott said, handing the figurine to Jean while he gave Rachel a hug.

"I hope you like it," Rachel said.

"I love it… I can't believe you even remembered our conversation about my brother," Scott said.

"We telepaths have a good memory… just ask Jean," Rachel said, laughing.

Jean added, "I'm gonna have to agree with Scott. I'm glad I gave him his present this morning, I definitely couldn't have lived up to this!" The three of them just laughed.

It was funny, Jean thought. Had it been any other woman who gave Scott such a thoughtful gift, she probably would have gotten jealous. But she couldn't muster up the feeling when it came to Rachel. She really did feel like Rachel was her sister. She had no idea why she felt that way, but she did.

"Anyway, since The Sound of Music is already playing, why don't I run to the kitchen and make us some popcorn. It seems there's still about an hour and a half left of the movie," Scott said.

"You sure you want to spend the night watching a chick flick, Scott?" Jean asked.

"Hon, if it means I get to cuddle with you all night long, I'd sit through a dozen of them," Scott said, kissing Jean on the cheek and running out of the room.

"Extra butter on mine, Scott!" Rachel yelled after him.

Scott came back just in time to watch the Lonely Goatherd scene. The three of them sat on the couch, Jean in the middle. They were completely engrossed in the movie. Halfway through, the three of them started singing along and laughed out loud each time one of them would get the words wrong. At that moment, Jean couldn't remember having had a more joyful Christmas.

 **To be continued…**


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

 **11 months later**

 **November 20th** **, 1990**

 **The Space Port Arcade – The mall**

"You're cheating," Rachel said, drolly.

"I am not!" Jean said, indignantly.

"You've got to be. You can't be that good… Have you learned to sneak into my mind without me knowing?" Rachel asked jokingly, knowing Jean would never do that.

Jean scoffed. "I don't need to read your mind to know you'll hurricane kick me every time I jump up."

And with that, Jean finished off Rachel's Street Fighter character, Ken with a final Hadouken from her Street Fighter character, Ryu. "Want a rematch?" Jean asked with a smug smile on her face.

Rachel couldn't hide the annoyance in her voice. "I'm out of quarters."

Jean just laughed. "You're just like Scott! Always in a huff when you lose."

"Yeah well, show me a good loser and I'll show you a loser," Rachel said, sardonically.

"Alright, alright, no more video games. Let's go grab a bite to eat. I'm craving cinnamon rolls," Jean said, grabbing Rachel's arm and dragging her outside the arcade.

After the two of them ordered their food, they found a quiet spot at a corner of the food court and sat down. Rachel noticed Jean staring at her plate and asked, "Something wrong, Jean?"

"How do you eat so much and not put on any weight?" Jean asked, staring at the three large cinnamon rolls Rachel got all for herself.

Rachel shrugged. "Fast metabolism… got it from my dad."

"Well, I'm jealous," Jean said.

Rachel smiled back at Jean. "I know." Rachel flashed back to a time when she was about twelve years old. She, her mom, her dad and Nathan were out eating at an all-you-can-eat buffet on a Sunday afternoon. Her dad's plate was stacked with all the food you could possibly fit on it.

She remembered her mom looking at his plate with a somewhat amused look on her face and said, "Honey, I love you… but I hate you." She, her dad and Nathan all just burst out laughing. It was a fond memory.

"Rachel, have you ever considered wearing contact lenses?" Jean asked, changing the topic.

"What?" Rachel asked, confused at first, then realized that Jean was referring to her fake prescription glasses. "Oh, these," Rachel said, touching her glasses. "Umm… I'm fine with them. Why?"

"They take up half your face… and you have such a pretty face too. Here, let's see how you look without them," Jean said, reaching out to take Rachel's glasses off.

"No, wait!" Rachel said, standing up quickly so she was out of Jean's reach. "Umm… I meant, I can't see without them and I'm not really comfortable when I can't see, so if you don't mind, I'll just keep them on."

"Oh, okay then," Jean said, looking a little hurt.

After a few awkward moments, Rachel tried turning the topic elsewhere. "Where were you last night? I tried looking for you after dinner to go over some Biology notes for my class and I couldn't find you."

A soft smile graced Jean's face. "Actually, I didn't come home last night. Scott and I went out for dinner and a movie, then stayed overnight at the Hyatt."

"Oh, you mean -"

The blush on Jean's face said it all. Rachel said, awkwardly, "I see… that's… umm… good… good for you… and Scott." Rachel took a long sip of her 7-Up, very uncomfortable with the turn in conversation. She was happy for her parents. She really was. But she didn't want to get into the topic of their sex life. Way too awkward. It didn't help in the slightest that her mom was only slightly older than her at the moment. It was still an image she wanted to erase asap.

Jean laughed. "Rachel, I had no idea you were such a prude."

"Am not!" Rachel said, indignantly. How does she explain that it isn't the topic of sex that made her uncomfortable. It was the topic of sex _and her parents_ that made her uncomfortable.

"Have you… umm… never been with a man before?" Jean asked, whispering.

"Oh, good God, I'm not talking about this… not with you," Rachel said, making a dramatic gesture of putting a finger in each of her ear.

"Come on, Rach, we're friends. This is what girlfriends do… we talk about our love lives," Jean said, laughing and pulling Rachel's hands away from her face.

Before Rachel could come up with a change of topic, their peaceful afternoon was interrupted by an urgent mental call from the professor. ** _Rachel, Jean, come back to the mansion immediately. We have an emergency._ **

 **Thirty minutes later**

 **The Mansion's Hangar Bay**

Scott was the last of the X-Men to board the Blackbird. He sat beside Storm in the cockpit of the plane. They were heading straight to the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia. The professor had briefed them all. Magneto's team of mutants were attacking the facility. The professor had no idea why, but they'd already killed a group of Security Protective Officers stationed by the entrance.

More officers were reported to be inside the building holding off the mutants' attack, but they wouldn't be able to hold out much longer. Moira MacTaggert, who was still trapped in the building, confirmed to Professor Xavier in the brief moments she was able to get to a phone that Magneto was not in the vicinity. His group of mutants consisting of Toad, Pyro, Avalanche, Psylocke and Mastermind were there. They claimed to be looking for top secret documents pertaining to an operation ORCA. Moira had never heard of such an operation.

The professor had lost contact with Magneto in the last several years. In light of the attack on the CIA Headquarters in Langley, the professor tried reaching out to Magneto to determine what his goals were, but with no luck. And so, the team found themselves en route to Virginia.

Upon landing, Cyclops quickly gave instructions. "Everyone, spread out so we're not an easy target. Kurt, you've got the point." Kurt nodded and moved forward. Behind him, the rest of the team took their positions, creating a large triangular formation as they followed him.

Rachel quickly recalled the team's history. The professor had initially made Raven the team leader, but the last few years saw Cyclops emerge as the de facto second in command. It's not been made official, but no one's ever questioned any of her father's orders. He had an inborn air of leadership about him. Even _she_ _knew_ not to gainsay him on a mission.

"I got a bad feeling about this," Peter said.

"All right, guys, let's not get ahead of ourselves." Scott looked to Jean. "Jean, scan the area, we shouldn't be far from the action now – see if you can pick up any thoughts that might allow us to get a handle on the situation."

Jean, out of habit, placed her fingers by her temple and did a quick scan of their surroundings. "They've gotten past the CIA's guards. Made quick work of them. They're in the vault trying to break in right now."

"We have no idea what they're looking for, but it has to be important if they were willing to go this far to retrieve it. We have to make sure they don't get their hands on it," Raven added.

Everyone nodded in understanding. They entered the headquarters. A trail of bodies were left scattered everywhere, mostly of the guards on duty. Kurt made a sign of the cross as he walked past the bodies. They quietly made their way down. They reached the last floor and found the vault demolished. Pyro, Psylocke, Avalanche, Toad and Mastermind were all scavenging through the files. Avalanche was the first to turn around, realizing they weren't alone.

"Looks like we got company!" Avalanche yelled at his teammates.

Pyro wasted no time, he let out a huge wave of fire right at the X-Men. Instinctively, Rachel and Jean put up psionic shields to protect everyone. Storm fired a lightning bolt straight at Pyro which knocked him back and stopped the deluge of fire.

Nightcrawler teleported right behind Toad and knocked him out before he could make any trouble. Quicksilver ran up to join him. "Good job, Elf."

"Err… Danke, Peter."

"I wonder what my old man is up to," Peter said out loud.

"That's what we're hoping to find out," Cyclops answered. He shot a well time optic blast at the feet of Avalanche to knock him off balance as he was about to unleash a series of seismic waves at Ororo, Jean and Rachel's direction.

"Long time no see," Psylocke said to Beast as she circled around him, her psionic blade glowing in her right hand.

Beast growled, took a door right off its hinges and threw it at Psylocke. She easily cut it in half with her psionic blade. Just as she was about to resume her attack on Beast, she was knocked forward by an invisible force. It was Peter! He hit her from behind at super speed. She took another blow before she even hit the ground. But before Peter could get in another blow, he froze mid-run, dropping to the ground and clutching his head.

Psylocke got up and brushed herself off, her fingers at her temple. She walked towards Peter and looking down at him said, "Tsk, tsk, you may be fast, but your speed won't help you against a psychic attack."

Rachel heard her friend's agonizing cries of distress. She saw Peter under a psychic attack from Psylocke. She made quick work of Avalanche and threw him telekinetically against the nearest wall and ran to help her teammate.

Without a word, Rachel psychically attacked Psylocke immediately freeing Peter from her telepathic hold. Psylocke staggered back under Rachel's relentless psychic assault. As a physical combatant, Rachel knew she didn't stand a chance against Psylocke, but as a psi, she knew she was far superior.

Before Rachel could finish her off, she was ambushed by another psychic attack – this time from another source. She looked around and saw Mastermind approaching her. Mastermind was not only a skilled telepath, but he could also create powerful, realistic illusions via telepathy. Rachel soon found herself overwhelmed holding off two separate psionic attacks.

Her first instinct was to cry out for help… to cry out for her mother. But she realized if Jean were to help her, she'd be privy to all her memories… all her secrets. She couldn't allow that to happen. She had no idea what the repercussions were – to this timeline, to her future… her existence.

Mastermind tried hard to create a terrifying illusion that Rachel's teammates were turning against her. The telepathic attack by Psylocke morphed to look like an attack from Jean. All of a sudden, the psychic plane that Rachel was on turned into the Danger Room. She was fending off an optic blast from Cyclops, she had to erect a psionic shield to protect herself from Storm's lightning strike. The Peter in her illusion was running circles around her, hitting her from every angle.

She was drowning in the illusion. She felt her physical body cry out in pain, clutched her head and crumpled to the ground. She fought hard to rid her mind of the illusion Mastermind created. She found some success, chipping away at the illusion – her vision alternating between the chaos in the CIA Headquarters and the chaos in her mind. She saw a glimpse of Jean running towards her.

It took all her energy to telepathically scream out, ** _No, Jean!_ **

** _Why won't you let me help you?!_ ** Jean asked.

** _Just don't! Please don't interfere._ ** A part of her wanted to let Jean in. The psychic assault was agony to her senses. She knew she wouldn't be able to last too much longer. But the fear of the unknown, the unknown repercussions of Jean finding out who she really was, held her resolve.

As if she was on another plane of existence, she heard her parents arguing… sounding so far away. "Why aren't you helping her, Jean?!" Scott asked.

"She won't let me, Scott!" Jean answered.

On the psychic plane, Rachel had stopped fighting, she had no more strength left. Instead, she created a psionic shield around herself, completely in defense mode. She curled into a fetal position and put all her energy towards warding off the psychic attack.

Then Rachel felt it. An intrusion… not an attack, but someone trying to get in her mind. It was Jean! ** _No, stay out!_ ** Rachel pleaded. She erected more walls around her mind, but she was drained. She held Jean off for a mere few more seconds. Then she was in. And Psylocke and Mastermind's combined powers were no match for the combined psi talents of mother and daughter. It didn't take long for the odds to tilt in their favor.

But it didn't take long either for Jean to see everything that Rachel had hidden from everyone for the last year. She felt Jean's wonder and awe upon seeing her thoughts, her memories. She felt Jean's confusion when she realized the majority of Rachel's memories were of her… of Scott… of their friends, the X-Men. And Rachel felt Jean's heart stop in shock when she realized the truth. She was Rachel's mother.

Scott was holding Jean in his arms. Her knees had buckled during the psychic battle she waged with Rachel against Psylocke and Mastermind. He didn't know what caused Jean to collapse. He looked at the two enemy telepaths both running away, retreating. She and Rachel were obviously more than those two could handle.

Raven and Ororo were helping Rachel stand up right next to Jean. Scott looked at her and thought she must have really been hurt during the battle as she had a look of pain on her face. Rachel quickly walked away, head down, Hank close behind her.

"Oh – Oh my God…" Jean cried, tears forming in her eyes.

Scott steadied Jean's trembling body.

"Jean, look at me, you're alright," Scott said, trying to get Jean to focus again. She just continued to cry, whispering over and over again, "It can't be… It can't be."

"What can't be? What is it, Jean?" Scott asked, tenderly stroking her cheek. But Jean wouldn't look at him. It seemed she couldn't even hear him. Gently, Scott pushed aside a strand of Jean's hair and whispered in her ear. "Jean, whatever it is, it's over. I'm here, let it go… come back to me."

It took several agonizingly slow moments until Jean seemed to gather herself. Jean's numbed expression softened, her trembling muscles began to relax. But the haunted look in her eyes remained.

"Scott?" Jean said, tentatively.

Scott smiled in relief. "Welcome back, hon."

"Rachel? Is she -" Jean started.

"She's fine… she's umm… somewhere," Scott said, looking around. "What happened to you?"

"I… Nothing," Jean said, a mask of indifference coming over her face. Scott decided to let it go for the moment. "Raven, Storm, did the mutants get what they were looking for?"

"No, it doesn't look like it. We were able to push them back and force them to abandon their search. With Rachel and Jean taking care of the two telepaths, the rest were easy for us," Raven answered.

"Alright, let's head back to the Blackbird before reinforcements arrive," Scott said, as he lifted Jean in his arms and led the way back.

Scott allowed Peter and Raven to fly the jet back. He stayed further back in the plane to make sure Jean was alright. He looked at Rachel who sat even further back in the jet. She and Hank were whispering fiercely to each other. Scott became curious what had the two in such a heated conversation. Even more baffling was that Rachel and Jean seemed to avoid each other.

Scott knew the two of them had gotten closer than sisters in the past year. To see them ignoring each other not only concerned him but really piqued his curiosity as well. What in the world happened to the two of them on the astral plane? He turned to Jean, "I know something happened to you and Rachel during that battle with Psylocke and Mastermind. I'm worried about you, can't you tell me what happened?"

Jean didn't respond, nor did she look Scott's way. But even in profile, he could see the turmoil in her eyes. He decided to drop the subject for the time being, but he promised himself he'd get to the bottom of things.

 **To be continued…**


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

 **The professor's study**

"I really messed up, Professor," Rachel said miserably. In the privacy of Charles Xavier's office, Rachel took off her blonde wig and fake glasses and was sitting by a window looking out.

"From reading Scott's report, I don't see what you could have done to prevent it," the professor said, obviously trying to make Rachel feel better.

"Still, now I have no idea what the consequences are, what will happen to my future… will I even have a future?" Rachel asked.

"You're still here aren't you? You haven't ceased to exist," the professor said, bringing his wheelchair closer to Rachel. "Looking out the window, I see the universe is still in tact as well."

"Are you making jokes at a time like this?" Rachel asked.

"I wanted to see you smile again, child. You've brought so much laughter and friendship into my house since you arrived a year ago… yet the sadness in you just grows each day," Xavier said, putting his hand on Rachel's shoulder.

"For the last year, I was sustained by the hope that although I went too far back in the past, that I still had a chance to save my mother. The friendship I forged with everyone here, especially with the younger version of my parents, gave me hope that maybe I could build a life here – as Rachel Winters. Now my mom knows everything, and she _hates_ me," Rachel said, putting her face in her hands, unable to stop the tears from flowing.

"That is not true, Rachel!" the professor said, sternly. "What she saw frightened her, but I assure you, she doesn't hate you. Far from it."

"She hasn't spoken to me since… She can't even stand to look me," Rachel said, dejectedly.

"She's just coming to grips with the situation. Give her time, child. She will come around," Xavier said.

"Maybe… maybe not… But there's also the issue of my existence now being a moot point," Rachel said, sadly.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, Jean now knows how she's going to die. She saw that from my memories clear as day. Hell, _you know_ how she's going to die!" Rachel said, throwing her hands up in the air. "I may have effectively already saved her."

"Rachel… What are you trying to say?"

"Why should I even continue living? It's not like I can go home. I'll never get to see my family again, not the one I desperately want to be with. The longer I stay here the more damage I could potentially create in the timeline. And I hate wearing these goddamn wig and glasses!"

The professor could only stare as Rachel telekinetically threw her wig and glasses against the wall. "Please do not despair, Rachel. You're an invaluable member of our team here. Do you think my X-Men wouldn't feel your loss profoundly if you were to be gone?"

"I was never supposed to be here to begin with," Rachel whispered.

"I understand your feeling of hopelessness right now, Rachel. I know Jean's distance has been painful for you, but it will get better. Please believe that," the professor said. Rachel just shrugged and continued to look out the window.

 **Two Weeks Later**

Scott and Jean walked hand in hand through Central Park. Despite the chill in the air, it was a sunny day. Scott had spent the last two weeks trying to get Jean back to her old self. She still refused to talk about what happened at the CIA building with Rachel. He had tried reaching out to Rachel to see if she could shed some light on what happened. But just like Jean, she refused to talk about it.

It was driving Scott crazy. He could tell from the eyebags forming under Jean's eyes that she'd lost sleep in the last couple of weeks. She avoided Rachel and after several attempts by Rachel to talk to Jean, it seemed Rachel had given up and avoided her just as much. What was worse was that Jean seemed to be distancing herself from him as well. A part of him wanted to interrogate Jean and just get everything out in the open, but he knew that would push her away even more.

The aftermath of the last mission definitely put a wrench in his plans. Three months ago, he'd purchased an engagement ring for Jean. He had planned to propose to her on Christmas Eve which was just two more weeks away. But the way Jean's been acting, half of him wondered if she wanted to break up with him. He couldn't bear the thought of losing her… he started feeling a little desperate.

"Earth to Jean… You okay? You looked like you were thinking about something really serious just now," Scott said, as he led them both to a nearby bench to sit.

"What? Oh, it was nothing… just woolgathering." Jean said.

"You've been woolgathering a lot these days," Scott said. "You sure you don't want to talk about it?"

"There's nothing to talk about, really."

Scott decided to change the subject, "So umm… you done all your Christmas shopping?"

"I haven't even started," Jean said, sighing.

"There's still a couple of weeks left, you've still got time." Jean just shrugged noncommittally. Scott felt Jean slipping more and more away from him each day. He was more than scared. He hated that he didn't understand what was happening.

Scott knew that whatever happened between Jean and Rachel must have been serious. Those two had gotten to be closer than sisters, and he knew that it would take something massive to cause their current estrangement. He also missed spending time with the two of them together. The only thing Scott could think of was that Jean saw something in Rachel's mind when she helped her battle Psylocke and Mastermind. But what it was Jean saw, he couldn't begin to guess.

Scott tried taking Jean's mind off whatever it was that was consuming her thoughts. "Hey, you feel like going for a carriage ride? We could take the carriage around the park then head on over to Bow Bridge and grab a snack from the vendors there."

Jean looked like she wanted to give an excuse not to go, but Scott beat her to it. "Come on, Jean, it's a nice day. Let's take advantage of it."

"Alright then," Jean said a bit half-heartedly. It hurt Scott to see her reluctance, but these days Scott just took what he could get.

The carriage ride turned out to be a good idea. Jean seemed to relax a little more throughout the ride and even rested her head on Scott's shoulder, making him smile. The ride didn't last very long, and they soon found themselves getting off at the foot of Bow Bridge. Scott thanked the driver, then took Jean's hand and started walking.

When they reached the top of the bridge, Scott stopped. He felt Jean's engagement ring in his pants pocket. A part of him felt he was being impulsive. There was a voice in the back of his mind telling him it wasn't the right time. But the gap between him and Jean was growing by the day. Feeling a little desperate, he took Jean's hands in his. The look on her face told him she was a little surprised by his gesture.

"Jean, this last year has been the best of my life. Ever since you told me you loved me, I've felt this completeness I've never felt before." Jean just nodded, looking unsure of where Scott was going with this. "I find myself so excited for each day knowing it's another day with you. And I know without a doubt that I want to spend the rest of my life with you," Scott said, going down on one knee.

Scott saw the look of panic in Jean's eyes when she saw him get down and pull out the small box in his pocket. Scott's heart sank as he realized what her answer would be before he even asked. But it was already too late. "Jean, will you do me the honor of marrying me?"

"Oh, Scott," Jean said, softly shaking her head, tears forming in her eyes. Scott didn't need to hear anymore. He closed the box and put it back in his pocket.

"I'm so sorry, Scott… I just can't," Jean whispered.

"You umm… can't because you need time to think about it… or you can't… ever?" Scott asked.

Jean didn't answer, she just looked down at the pavement. Scott slowly stood up, feeling like the fool he was, when Professor Xavier blared into their minds like a megaphone cranked to ten. ** _Scott, Jean, I need you two back at the mansion right now. It's urgent!_ **

Scott set aside his disappointment, put on his Cyclops persona and headed back to their vehicle with Jean close behind him.

 **The Mansion**

In less than an hour, all the X-Men were seated in the war room being debriefed by Professor Xavier of their newest crisis.

"I received intel that Senator Martin Markinson is being targeted by the FOH -"

"The same group that abducted Scott last year," Ororo said.

"Yes. I've also learned that they plan to strike tonight when he makes his speech at Ronald Perelman's annual Christmas gala," Xavier explained.

"The good Senator has been on the news lately, he's one of the few Senators actually interested in promoting mutant rights," Peter said.

"That's right," the professor said. "So, it's no surprise, Peter, that the FOH would view Senator Markinson as an enemy and take action against him."

"What are they planning to do?" Raven asked.

"Unfortunately, I don't know for sure. I do suspect it'll be an assassination attempt," the professor answered.

"I guess this is where we come in?" Rachel asked.

"Yes, I need you all to gain entrance to the gala as guests. Without drawing attention to yourselves, protect the Senator and thwart the FOH's assassination attempt."

"But Professor, shouldn't we inform authorities that one of theirs is in danger?" Hank asked.

"I've already tried. They don't feel that my sources are credible and unless we can present any new evidence of the threat, they'll be going ahead with things as planned," Xavier answered.

"Or they just don't care for a Senator who supports mutants," Kurt suggested, in his thick German accent.

"Either way, we can't ignore the threat to him," Jean said, speaking up for the first time.

The professor said, "Kurt, you'll be staying behind, I'm afraid your appearance at a crowded gala would indeed draw unwanted attention. Hank, make sure to take enough serum to mask your appearance. We may need your expertise in case the FOH resorts to rigging the place with a bomb. It would certainly fit their M.O. Jean and Rachel will ensure you all make it past the security guard handling the guest list. Find something suitable to wear. I want you in the air in an hour. Dismissed."

 **Three hours later**

The team, dressed to the nines, made their way past the guards checking off the guest list. A simple telepathic suggestion from Rachel ensured they were allowed entry. Hank remained behind on the Blackbird in case they needed someone on the outside. Once they were on the twelfth floor where the gala was being held, Scott wasted no time in giving instructions.

"Everyone turn on your comms. We need to be able to communicate and we don't want to rely on Rachel and Jean to link us telepathically. If we come across a situation like we did at the CIA Headquarters, we may not be able to rely on them," Scott said. "Peter, search the whole building for any FOH members hiding about. Raven, see if you can locate the main controls for the building's security system. Ororo, Jean, Rachel and I will stay here to keep an eye on Senator Markinson."

Suddenly, a big round of applause drew everyone's attention to the stage. It was the Senator approaching the podium. He was a skinny, middle-aged man of below average height, wearing glasses and sporting a moustache. He was wearing a black tux with a blue tie. He put his earpiece in and started reading the teleprompter.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much for welcoming me today… to… uhhh… to join you all in… ummm…" the senator looked very uncomfortable. Scott seemed to notice it too.

"Jean, is it me or does the Senator look nervous?" Scott asked.

"He's sweating profusely," Ororo said. "Jean, scan his mind, see if there's a problem."

"I'm on it," Jean said. After a couple of seconds, "My god, he's being spoken to by someone in his earpiece. They told him he's standing on a pressure plate rigged to explode. If he calls for help, it'll explode. If he moves off the plate, it will explode. They're telling him that it's in retaliation for him opposing something called Operation ORCA."

"Operation ORCA… wasn't that the subject of the documents Magneto's team of mutants were trying to get their hands on in Langley?" Ororo asked.

"I think it was," Jean said.

"I'll telepathically let Senator Markinson know we're here, and that we know his situation and we're going to help him," Rachel said, placing her index finger to her temple and sending out a message to the frightened Senator.

Scott lowered his head to speak into his comm. "Raven, someone's speaking to the Senator through his earpiece. Find out where that signal is coming from."

Raven answered, "It's not coming from anywhere, there's no signal coming in or out of the building. It must be a recording."

Peter called in from his comm. "Guys, I've done a thorough sweep of the area, there's no one anywhere outside the twelfth floor."

Rachel asked, "Raven, the bomber, can he see what's going on inside here? Is he using the surveillance cameras?"

Raven answered, "It doesn't seem like it. The surveillance cameras merely record - they don't send out signals to be viewed elsewhere. Why, what's on your mind?"

"If you can activate the alarm system to get everyone out of the building, I can take Senator Markinson's place on the rigged pressure plate to ensure the bomb doesn't go off. In the meantime, you guys can take him some place safe," Rachel said.

"Absolutely not. That's too dangerous, Rachel!" Jean said, adamantly. Rachel wondered if Jean realized this was the first time she'd spoken to her in over two weeks.

"I'll be fine. At least I stand a chance if the bomb goes off. I have the ability to shield myself psionically. The good senator doesn't," Rachel answered.

"Still, we don't know the magnitude of this bomb. Your psionic shield may not be strong enough to protect you if it does go off," Jean argued.

"It'll be fine. I've explained the plan telepathically to Senator Markinson already," Rachel said, as she looked at the Senator on stage nervously hesitating over his speech.

"Then _I'll_ take his place on the podium," Jean said.

"No, it's my plan," Rachel argued. "Besides, I'm a stronger psi than you are, I have the better chance if that bomb goes off."

"I agree with Rachel. Jean you're with me," Scott said, ignoring the glare he got from Jean.

"Raven, you ready with that alarm?" Rachel spoke into her comm.

"Just give me the word," Raven answered.

"Now!" Rachel yelled. An alarm started blaring in the building. Scott and Ororo immediately started helping people evacuate. Rachel rushed up to the stage and telekinetically lifted the senator off the pressure plate just as she placed herself in his place. She had to be very careful as the timing was crucial to ensure the bomb didn't go off.

"Senator Markinson, this is Jean Grey, she's here to take you some place safe," Rachel said, pointing to Jean. "Please go with her."

"That was you… speaking to me… in my mind? But, what about you, Miss…?" The senator asked, a fatherly look of concern on his face.

"I'll be fine, I'll make sure the bomb doesn't explode until everyone's out of the building," Rachel answered. She nodded to Jean letting her know to go. With the floor having been evacuated, Scott and Ororo ran to where Jean and the senator were and led them both out of the building. Jean looked back once more at Rachel, but Rachel only met her eyes briefly before looking away. She just stared down at the pressure plate she was standing on that was rigged to explode.

When Rachel was alone, she realized that the _perfect_ opportunity just presented itself to her. One step… just one step would solve all her problems. One step would end her misery… her crushing loneliness. It was almost too easy. If she did it… if she stepped off the plate, no one would ever realize it was a suicide.

She took a deep breath. It had been a couple of minutes already since the floor had been evacuated. She couldn't hear anything anymore. She couldn't sense anyone anymore. After another minute, she spoke into her comm. "Scott? Where are you guys?"

"Rachel, we're on the Blackbird, we've got the Senator with us, he's safe. Just hang in there, we're trying to figure out how to disarm the bomb, then we'll get you out of there," Scott said.

"Is everyone on the Blackbird? Jean, Ororo, Hank, Raven and Peter? Are you guys all there right now?" Rachel asked.

"Yes, we're all accounted for," Scott answered.

"Any civilians left in the building?" Rachel asked.

"They're all out too," Scott said. Just for good measure, Rachel did a telepathic scan of the whole area and didn't detect anyone.

And that was all she needed to make her decision. Rachel turned off her comm, closed her eyes, and tried to calm her nerves. She conjured up an image of her mother, father and brother in her mind's eye. She held her breath, drawing up what little courage she had left - then stepped off the plate.

 **In the blackbird**

"Was that Rachel, is she alright?" Jean asked Scott, worry lacing her voice.

"Yeah, she just wanted an update on the building – checking to see where everyone was," Scott answered.

"This doesn't make any sense," Hank chimed in.

"What do you mean?" Scott asked.

"It doesn't make sense for the FOH to assassinate the senator using a pressure plate rigged to explode. There are too many variables involved. What if the senator managed to call for help? Would he have eventually stepped off it? How long could he have stayed on the plate? Were they planning on killing the other guests at the gala or were they not?" Hank said.

"You're right… too many things left to chance," Ororo said.

"What are you saying, Hank?" Jean asked.

"I'm thinking the bomb the senator was standing on is either not the main bomb or is a fake. Hang on, I'll get the blackbird to scan the whole building to detect trace signatures of various explosive materials," Hank said, running up to the jet's controls.

The team stood behind Hank while he performed his tests at the controls. After a few minutes, Hank said, "There it is!" pointing to the first floor on the south west corner of the building. "The system is showing unusually high traces of fuel and ammonium nitrate right there."

"Then what are we waiting for, let's go," Scott said, making his way to the hatch.

"I'd rather go alone, Scott. I'm the only one of us trained to disarm a bomb. If something goes wrong, the fewer of us there, the better," Hank said.

"One of us should accompany you in case of trouble. Someone should have your back," Peter said.

"The last scan of the building indicates it's been completely abandoned save for Rachel. I'll be fine," Hank said, running out of the jet with his gear and leaving his teammates behind.

Hank found the bomb quickly enough. It was hidden behind one of the pillars next to the janitor's closet. It was as he thought. The FOH did not leave as much to chance as they first appeared to. The bomb Hank disarmed was on a timer. By the time he found it, the timer only had four and a half minutes left. He had to work fast. Luckily, he was familiar with the construct and was able to dismantle it in a little over three minutes. Hank breathed a sigh of relief.

At that point, Hank was almost certain that the plate Rachel was standing on was a fake. A device meant merely to torment Senator Markinson before actually killing him with the real bomb Hank just defused. He ran up the stairwell to get to Rachel. He'd check the bomb she was standing on for himself to see if his suspicions were correct.

Once he got to the twelfth floor, he burst into the room where they left Rachel. To his everlasting shock, he saw that Rachel had already stepped off the pressure plate. She had a blank look on her face. It took her a moment to even realize he'd arrived.

"Rachel…" Hank started.

She just gave him a blank icy stare that chilled Hank's spine just a little. "Rachel… how did you know the bomb was a fake?"

"I didn't."

 **The next day back at the mansion**

Scott, Jean, the professor and Hank were gathered in the war room pouring over surveillance from the gala the night before. They'd been at it for the last four hours trying to find any evidence that they could present to authorities to implicate the FOH.

Jean was exhausted, and her emotions were a mess. From finding out that Rachel was her daughter, to Scott proposing and from the night before when Rachel put her own life in danger – her nerves were shot.

She hadn't slept much the night before. She had too many thoughts to sort out. She realized that she had been incredibly unfair to Rachel. She had been selfish, and she felt ashamed. She had been upset that her future seemed to have been written for her already. She felt that she had no choice anymore in what direction her life would take. A part of her had been upset that Rachel had been dishonest with her. But the rational part of her mind understood why she did it.

Jean realized that what she was going through was nothing compared to the hardship Rachel had faced in the last year. She understood now why her friend… no, _her daughter_ always had an air of loneliness about her. The despair Jean sensed in her was always like a cloud hanging over her, never having gone away.

When Jean and Rachel were psychically connected while they fought off Psylocke and Mastermind, Jean experienced Rachel's agony in watching her mother, Jean's future self, die. She experienced her guilt, her self-recrimination over what happened. She felt the acute sense of loss, of Rachel missing her mother… missing _her_. She felt her hopelessness over never seeing her family… her true family ever again.

As disconcerting as it was to see her own death through her daughter's eyes, it just didn't compare to what Rachel had to undergo. She wasn't quite sure yet what to say to Rachel, but she knew she had to make the first move. When Rachel suggested she put herself right on top of that bomb the night before, Jean's protective instincts came to the fore. She had forgotten her anger, her hurt, and thought of nothing but making sure Rachel was alright. At least now Jean understood why she'd always felt a connection with Rachel.

"Wait, stop right there… fast forward a bit," Scott said to Hank, jolting Jean out of her musings.

Hank did as Scott asked him to and fast forwarded the surveillance video. "All right stop right there," Scott said. The video was paused on an image of Rachel alone on the podium. "What is she doing?" Scott wondered out loud.

"Hank, play the video," Jean asked.

"There's really nothing to see, Jean. We know what happens at this point," Hank said.

Jean wondered why Hank was reluctant to play more, which made her even more curious. Jean could sense Hank's nervousness. What didn't he want her to see?

Scott didn't wait for Hank to respond, he went to the control and played the video anyway. The video continued. There was no audio, so they couldn't hear anything, but the image was clear. Rachel lowered her head to speak into her comm. Looking at the time on the video, Jean matched that to the time Rachel had asked Scott if the building had been evacuated.

Rachel nodded her head on the video, perhaps acknowledging Scott's information of everyone's whereabouts. She placed her fingers to her right temple, as if doing a mental scan. She looked down, it seemed as if she was trying to gather the courage to do something… then –

"Oh my god!" Jean gasped.

"What the hell?!" Scott yelled.

Rachel calmly stepped off the pressure plate. Jean couldn't believe her eyes. "How did she know it was a fake?!"

"Even we didn't know it at the time!" Scott said.

Hank couldn't meet Jean's eyes. He continued to stare to the side, away from the screen. "You knew about this, Hank?" Jean asked.

Hank didn't answer, but he didn't need to. Jean looked back at the video. Scott fast forwarded the video a bit and she saw Hank barge into the gala room. She saw the look of shock on Hank's face in the video when he saw Rachel had already stepped off the plate. She could read his lips on the video. He asked Rachel how she knew the bomb was a fake.

Rachel's lips forming the words, "I didn't," made Jean's blood run cold.

"That's why she was trying to make sure that the building was empty and that we were all accounted for in the jet," Scott whispered.

Professor Xavier put his head in his hands. "This is my fault. I had sensed for days prior to the mission that she wasn't in a good frame of mind. I sent her with you hoping it would distract her… But instead she found an opportunity to -"

"To what?! To commit suicide?" Scott yelled.

Jean put her hand on Scott's arm, trying to calm him. She knew that Rachel and Scott had become good friends too and that she meant a lot to him. He probably felt a connection with her that he couldn't understand. She wanted so badly to tell him… to tell him everything.

"Why wouldn't she talk to anyone about this? Why would she take matters into her own hands like that?" Scott said, pulling away from Jean and pacing the room like a caged tiger.

The professor said, "She _did_ talk to me, Scott. There are things about Rachel you don't understand… Trust me when I say that it was my fault. I will talk to her."

"No!" Jean said. "I'll talk to her."

"Are you sure, Jean?" Xavier asked.

Jean looked him in the eyes knowing that he knew that she knew everything. "Yes, it's something I have to do. Only I can make this right." Jean rushed out of the war room to find her daughter.

 **To be continued…**

 **This was a tough one for me to write. I wanted to put Rachel and Jean in a harrowing enough situation that it would bring them closer together and get Jean over her funk. But I had a hard time imagining such a situation. Luckily, I was watching re-runs of Smallville last night and watched the season 9 episode Echo. It's what inspired me to write about the fake bomb.**


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Jean wasted no time rushing up the stairs to the top floor of the mansion. She headed straight for Rachel's bedroom. Jean was furious, she was worried, she blamed herself for how she treated Rachel. But most of all, she wanted to make things right with Rachel again – to have her back in her life.

Jean didn't even bother knocking. She just barged into Rachel's room. Jean saw her sitting by her window looking out over the school grounds. Rachel turned to look at her and Jean was frozen in her tracks by what she saw. Rachel didn't have her wig on. She didn't have her glasses on. Jean felt like she was looking in a mirror. No wonder she had to resort to having a disguise. One look at Rachel and everyone would know she was related to Jean in some way.

"Can I help you, Jean?" Rachel asked, her voice completely monotone.

"Why did you do it?" Jean asked, knowing Rachel would know exactly what she was referring to.

Rachel sighed. "Go away, Jean. Let me bask in the brilliance of my many failures alone," Rachel said, turning away and looking back out the window.

Without warning, Jean pulled Rachel's chair telekinetically to the middle of the room and made her face her. Jean was surprised when Rachel didn't even flinch from her outburst. As if reading her mind, Rachel said wryly, "It's not the _first time_ you've yanked me like that to get my attention."

"Is that so? Then you know I'm serious and I want answers," Jean said. "How could you even think of doing what you did last night?"

"Hank told you, then."

"No, I saw the surveillance footage."

Rachel just shrugged. "Seemed like the thing to do at the time," Rachel said, dismissively.

"That's all you have to say?" Jean yelled, not understanding how Rachel could act so indifferently.

"What do you care?" Rachel asked, showing the first signs of emotion. "You've said about five words to me in the last two weeks. I obviously have no place in your life or in this time. You know how you're going to die, so you no longer need me to save you from that. I can never go back home. And the longer I stay here, the more damage I'm probably doing to the space-time continuum! So yeah, it seemed like the thing to do at the time."

"I do care! Do you know what losing you would have done to me?" Jean asked, her voice cracking.

"No," Rachel said simply.

Jean went down on her knees in front of Rachel, forcing her to look her in the eyes. "Before I even knew who you truly were, I loved you like a sister. I felt a connection to you I couldn't understand. Now, knowing I'm your mother, it would have killed me to lose you… especially that way."

"I thought you hated me," Rachel whispered.

"I'm so sorry, Rachel. I'm sorry I treated you the way I did. I couldn't get past my own feelings of having lost control of my life… my destiny. But I never hated you, not even for a second," Jean said.

Jean looked up and saw tears brimming in Rachel's eyes. She imagined it was an accumulation of tears held at bay for the last year. Rachel went on her knees on the floor with Jean. Then without warning, Rachel embraced her. "I've missed you so much!"

Jean knew who she really meant. She missed the older version of her. The mother she cherished deeply. "I've felt your suffering, Rachel. I saw what you went through… _everything_ you went through… If I could have borne that for you I would have," Jean said.

"I wouldn't have wanted you to," Rachel said.

"You'll always have a home here, Rachel. I don't ever want you to think about ending your life again! Do you understand?" Jean said, shaking Rachel by the shoulders. Rachel just nodded.

After a few moments, Rachel broke the silence. "You know, when you died that night so long ago for me - I didn't just lose my mother, I lost my father too."

"Scott…" Jean whispered.

"Your death left him a broken man. He all but died that night too," Rachel said. "Couldn't even bring himself to look at me anymore."

"I swear, Rachel. That won't happen. Not this time. Not like that, do you hear me?" Jean said.

"I hope not… otherwise everything I've been through would have been for nothing," Rachel answered.

Jean wanted nothing more than to beat some sense into future Scott – wherever he was. How could he treat his child that way? But Jean remembered Rachel's memory of Jean dying in Scott's arms. And Jean knew if their roles were reversed her soul would have died just as his did. Before she married him, she'd make sure she laid out ground rules in regards to their children if one of them were to go first. And marry him she would, once she mended things with Rachel.

Mother and daughter just held each other on the floor in the middle of Rachel's bedroom for quite some time. It was cathartic for both of them. Jean realized that once she came to accept Rachel and everything she represented, she found herself filled with hope. Rachel actually represented a future Jean had always yearned for with Scott – minus her dying of course. And the fact that Jean knew how her future self died, she felt confident she could prevent it.

Jean laughed all of a sudden, Rachel turned to her with a confused look on her face. "What is it, Jean? What's so funny?"

"I was just remembering something you said about your dad," Jean tried mimicking Rachel's voice. "'Let's just say, his looks could kill'."

Rachel laughed, remembering the conversation they had the previous Christmas. "A part of me had hoped that you'd one day catch my true meaning."

"Well, it definitely takes on a whole new meaning for me now," Jean said, enjoying their easy banter once again. "You certainly have a way with words, Rachel."

"Speaking of Scott… are you umm… going to tell him?" Rachel asked.

"I want to," Jean answered. "I think he has a right to know… but I won't, unless you give me permission. It's kind of your secret to tell, isn't it?"

"I've never known you to keep a secret from Scott. The fact that you've kept this one for as long as you have has impressed me." Rachel said. "Go ahead. Tell him. You already know everything. I no longer see the harm with him knowing too. Besides, secrets aren't good for a relationship. I do have to ensure my own existence you know."

Jean laughed. "Yes, there is that. And I do need to do some mending with Scott as well. He uhh… He asked me to marry him yesterday… I said, 'no'."

"… It was because of me, wasn't it?"

"A little… but I didn't have a clear mind at the time. I was confused and angry and now I regret it… I hope his offer's still open," Jean said.

"I still exist, don't I? It's probably still open," Rachel said, smiling.

 **An hour later**

Scott had spent the better part of the last two hours working on his motorcycle. There really wasn't any work to be done. But Scott had a lot on his mind and he found working on his bike therapeutic. It was a way for him to lick his wounds after Jean rejected his marriage proposal. So, he'd checked his tire pressure, lubricated his bike's chain, changed the coolant, changed the oil, and adjusted the cables.

He was about to change the spark plugs next when he heard familiar footsteps come up behind him. "Hey, Scott." It was Jean. Scott wondered how her talk with Rachel went. It took all his will power not to have gone with her and give Rachel a piece of his mind after what he saw on that surveillance video. But he knew that Jean and Rachel needed to iron things out between them… Whatever it was.

"Hey, Jean," Scott said, not offering more. He figured whatever she wanted, she could make the first move.

"Can we talk?" Jean asked, tentatively. Scott just nodded, got up and made a motion for Jean to follow him to the nearby bench.

They both sat down, and Scott just stared at Jean. He wasn't going to make this easy for her. He was still hurt by her rejection the day before. Although a voice in his head reminded him that he couldn't have picked a worse time to propose.

"I know I hurt you… and I'm so sorry. That was the last thing I wanted to do -"

"Then, why did you?" Scott asked.

"I've been trying to figure out how to tell you… And I realized that what I need to tell you… What I need you to know, can't be told. It has to be shown," Jean said, placing her index and middle finger on Scott's temple. "May I?"

Scott hesitated only a brief second, then nodded, giving his permission. Suddenly, a rush of images and memories came flooding at him.

He saw an image of Jean and himself coming home with a new baby boy in their arms. He saw an image of him and Jean reading a bedtime story to two young children; a brown-haired boy and another child whom he couldn't see as it seemed it was from her point of view he was seeing the memories.

There was an image of them seemingly on a family vacation at Disneyland. There was an image of him teaching his son to play chess. There was a memory of him teaching his daughter how to drive… He knew it was his daughter, but he still couldn't see an image of her.

A thousand more fragmented memories and images bombarded him before the very last memory was revealed to him. It was an older version of him, holding a bleeding Jean in his arms. He was sobbing his heart out, begging her not to leave him – but she died anyway.

Scott couldn't take it anymore. He physically pushed Jean's hand away from his temple. He couldn't breathe. He stumbled away from Jean. The pain of the memories – no, the images – was suffocating. He felt nauseated and he bent down trying his hardest not to vomit.

"Easy, Scott! Take a deep breath, it'll pass," Jean said, rubbing his back.

"My God, what was that?!" Scott asked, when he could finally bring himself to talk.

"They were memories, Scott… Rachel's memories. It's what I saw – what I experienced when I psychically linked with her when we fought Psylocke and Mastermind," Jean said.

"Rachel's? But how… Wait, what are you saying?" Scott asked, gasping for breath.

"I think you know, Scott," Jean whispered.

"But… that's impossible…" Scott said, steadying himself against the wall.

"Is it? Doesn't everything make sense now? Everything we've always found strange with Rachel… Isn't it like finding the last missing piece of a puzzle that was hard to make out but is now so clear?"

"Rachel is our… She's -"

"Our daughter? Yes, she is," Jean said, confirming what Scott knew but needed to hear. Scott didn't say anything. He slid down against the wall and sat on the cold concrete floor. After a moment, Jean sat next to him. She took his hand in hers. "Are you alright, Scott?"

Scott nodded. "I'm just trying to wrap my mind around everything. Rachel's from the future… I never believed such a thing was possible. It's like something out of a movie… Yet, everything makes sense now."

"Yeah, I know."

"It's why my optic blast didn't hurt her. It's why she tried so hard to get us together. How she knew for a fact we had feelings for each other -"

"Why she hated Duncan," Jean added, laughing. Scott laughed at that too.

"I always wondered why so much about her reminded me of you… Now I know."

"Really? What do you mean?"

"Little things here and there… Like the sound of her laughter. Her little mannerisms, for example, how she always raises her left eyebrow whenever she doesn't believe something I said," Scott said, chuckling.

"I do that?" Jean asked.

"It's your trademark," Scott answered. "She also crinkles her nose whenever she hears something asinine… She totally got that from you."

"She acts like you in a lot of ways too, you know," Jean said.

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Scott asked.

"Well, for one, she's a germaphobe. You two are the only people I know who order steaming hot water at every restaurant you go to just to soak the cutlery in. You're also both sore losers who accuse me of cheating anytime I win at any game we're playing."

"I've gotten better over the years," Scott said a little defensively, knowing it was true.

"Slightly," Jean said, smiling. Scott couldn't help but smile back. She knew him so well. Scott went quiet again, staring ahead, deep in thought.

Suddenly he said, "I can't imagine the hardship Rachel's been through… I mean… Imagine never being able to go back home."

"She said that you… The future you, blamed her for my death-"

"God, I feel terrible. I mean, it's the future me… but still, it's me. I just… I don't know. I just want to find Rachel right now and give her a hug or something… That, or build myself a time machine and knock some sense into my older self," Scott said.

"At least with you, it's your older self… I'm so ashamed with how _I_ treated her. It was selfish of me," Jean said, feeling so much remorse.

"Why _were_ you angry with her?" Scott asked.

"I wasn't. I was angry at the situation. I felt like my whole life from start to finish had already been written and that I had no choice but just to go through the motions."

"I see…"

"But that was my problem. And I selfishly made it Rachel's… and yours as well," Jean said.

"Yeah, about the marriage proposal… I'm sorry about that, Jean. It was an awful time for me to bring it up. I knew you were bothered by something. It was selfish of me. It just felt that I was losing you and I got scared. I'm sorry I dropped that on you," Scott said.

Jean took Scott's hands in her own. "I should be the one apologizing. I can only imagine the courage it took for you to ask-"

"Let's just forget it ever happened. I just want things to go back to the way they were," Scott said.

"But I don't want things to go back to the way they were," Jean said.

Scott felt his heart sink at her words. She was going to break up with him. "I see… Don't you think that's a little extreme?" Scott asked.

"What are you talking about?" Jean asked, looking confused.

"I mean, I know what you saw in Rachel's mind was a lot to take in. But there were a lot of good memories there… In fact, they were all great except for the part of you dying. But together we can make sure that never happens. We're stronger together than apart. I mean, are you just going to give up on us to ensure that future never happens? And who knows what would happen to Rachel if mphf-" Scott was silenced by Jean putting her index finger on his lips.

"I'm not breaking up with you, Scott," Jean said, an amused look on her face.

"You're… not? But you said -"

"I said, I didn't want things to go back to the way they were."

Scott just stared at her, still not sure what she was trying to say.

Jean sighed, exasperation written all over her face. "I'm trying to say that I want us to move forward… together. What I'm trying to ask is… Does your offer still stand?"

"You want to _marry_ me?" Scott asked, not quite believing what he was hearing.

"Of course, I do! I love you, you big oaf," Jean said, affectionately caressing Scott's cheek with the back of her hand. When Scott didn't say anything for a moment or two, Jean's smile faded a bit. "Scott? Your offer still stands right? Are _you_ having second thoughts?"

"Oh, no it's nothing like that. I couldn't be happier!" Scott said, pulling Jean in his arms, reassuring her. "It's just that I… sort of… returned the engagement ring."

"You did what?! Why would you do that?"

"Well, the sight of it was just depressing! You did say 'no' to me and you made it sound so final at the time," Scott said, defensively.

"Oh, but that ring was gorgeous… Don't you know me by now?! I would have said 'yes' eventually!" Jean lamented.

"I'm sure it's still at the jewellers. I'll get it back, hon," Scott said, kissing Jean tenderly on the lips. "Besides, it could have been worse…"

"Oh? How so?" Jean asked, raising her eyebrow.

"I could have gone to plan B and proposed to that blonde at the coffee shop who keeps flirting with me… I think she'd have said 'yes'," Scott said, jokingly.

"I'd like to see you try, hon," Jean said, her voice extra saccharine. Scott knew that tone. It never failed to scare him just a little bit. His Jean could be quite the possessive one.

"Awww, sweetheart, I was just kidding around. You know I've only got eyes for you," Scott said, nuzzling Jean's neck.

"Good. I'd hate to see blondie have to learn to tie her shoes all over again," Jean said.

Scott laughed so hard. "Redheads _do_ have a dynamite temper."

"Glad you know it." Jean said, smugly. After a moment, Scott gently made a motion for Jean to move off his lap. He slowly got up. "Where are you going, Scott?" Jean asked with a bit of a pout that Scott always found adorable and sexy at the same time.

"I'm getting your ring back," Scott said, helping Jean up off the floor. "Then, we're going out to celebrate with dinner tonight at your favorite restaurant."

"I can't wait!" Jean said, giggling like a school girl. Scott, however, didn't join in her laughter.

Scott's face looked serious all of a sudden. "Jean, I want you to know that I believe with all my heart that we'll be okay. When I look at you, I see more than just you. I see my today, my tomorrow and the rest of my life. The future isn't something to fear, it's something to look forward to. Yes, we did get a glimpse of your death, but the future isn't set in stone. There's a reason Rachel's here. I believe we can change that fate."

Jean embraced Scott. "Even if we can't change my fate, even if everything's already set in stone and I have no choice but to just go through the motions… I'd still want to be by your side – for the rest of my life. I love you, Scott."

"I love you too, Jean… I always have."

 **An hour later**

Scott had several hours before his dinner date with Jean that night. He had a few errands to run, one being to buy back Jean's engagement ring. But Scott had one very important thing he wanted to do before running back to the mall.

He'd been all over the mansion grounds for the better part of the last ten minutes searching for a certain someone. When he finally found said someone – she was sitting under his and Jean's favorite tree. Her nose was in a book – _just like her mother_ , Scott mused.

Rachel had on an 'Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters' hoodie, blue jeans and runners. She also had on her blonde wig and glasses. After his chat with Jean, Scott learned that Rachel was actually a redhead and that the glasses she constantly wore weren't prescription at all. Rachel looked up from her book, most likely sensing his presence.

She had an adorably awkward look on her face. She probably knew Jean had told him everything. He decided to speak first. "Hey Rachel… whatcha readin'?"

She lifted the book, so he could see the cover. It was Bid Time Return by Richard Matheson. He'd never read the book, but Jean had made him watch the film adaptation with Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour called Somewhere in Time. It was a time travel/romance story. It didn't end well.

"Isn't that a little depressing?" Scott asked.

Rachel shrugged. "It appeals to me."

"You mean it appeals to you that the main character in the novel can travel through time simply by wishing it?" Scott asked.

"Something like that," Rachel answered.

"And is that what you wish for? To wake up one morning and be home again?" Scott asked, taking a seat next to Rachel on the grass.

"With all my heart… Except when I wake up, I'll have been successful in preventing my mother's death. My family would be whole, and we'd gather around the breakfast table like we've done every morning for as far as I can remember," Rachel said, wistfully.

"I wish I could give that to you, Rachel," Scott said, embracing the young woman who was so much more than a friend, but not quite his daughter.

Rachel looked a little taken aback by Scott's show of affection. "You umm… seem to be taking the news rather well." _Better than Jean_ , Scott thought was what Rachel meant.

"What's not to like? I saw a future in which I married the woman I love. We created a beautiful family together, and we lived a happy life," Scott said.

"Did you miss the part where Jean died because I made a stupid decision that night to go on a mission she begged me not to go on?" Rachel asked, pain lacing her voice.

"No… No, I didn't miss that. It just about killed me to see that… I can only imagine what that did to you. You actually lived through it," Scott said.

"My dad hated me for it… _You_ hated me for it… blamed me for what happened. And rightfully so. I wanted so much to make it up to him, to my mom, my brother. I don't even know if I've succeeded," Rachel whispered.

Scott gently cupped Rachel's cheek and made her look at him. "I can tell you for a fact he didn't hate you. And if he did blame you at first, well, it's just his grief talking… He knows that Jean made a decision to follow you. And that it was her decision."

Rachel couldn't hold back her tears anymore. She embraced Scott. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry! I never meant for it to happen! I've hated myself for so long."

Scott knew she wasn't really talking to him. She was talking to the man she would probably never see again. But if he could give her this one small comfort, he'd do it gladly. "Hey now, you've nothing to be sorry for. It should be you receiving the apology. I'll speak for my future self and say, ' _I'm_ the one who's sorry'. You didn't deserve that. All I can say is that the grief overwhelmed him, and he lost sight of what he still had. Trust me, Jean gave me a piece of her mind earlier about that… Never mind I've never actually committed the sin yet..."

Rachel laughed through her tears. "Thanks… you have no idea how much I needed to hear that… _I_ had no idea how much I needed to hear that _._ "

Scott looked at the girl who'd been such a wonderful friend to him. The girl who would be his daughter. Was this what fatherly pride felt like? She was intelligent, funny, resourceful… She could hold her own in a battle better than he could… even better than Jean. She had a kindness to her that was such a reflection of her mother. She remained stoic amidst such pain in her young life. He and Jean raised a remarkable young woman… or at least their future selves did.

Rachel must have sensed Scott's pensiveness and asked, "What are you thinking?"

"A lot of things… one of them is that I think you shouldn't have to hide anymore," Scott said, gently putting his hands on Rachel's faux blonde locks. "May I?"

Rachel nodded. The look in her eyes told Scott she wanted him to see her as she truly was. He gently lifted the wig off, while Rachel assisted him with the clips. Scott placed it on the grass beside them. He then proceeded to remove her spectacles. What he saw made his breath catch in his throat.

"Jesus… you're the very image of your mother," Scott said.

"So everyone's told me," Rachel said, wryly.

"Remarkable… I mean, I've always kind of seen a resemblance between you and Jean… the shape of your nose, your mouth, your eyes… but to see everything so clearly with no distractions – it's just uncanny," Scott said, still in awe. "I wish so much that I could see you without my visor."

"I wish too, that just once in my life I could see your eyes… I've umm… never seen them outside of pictures of when you were really young," Rachel said, smiling.

"Well… it is what it is… I'm just relieved you didn't take after me!" Scott said, laughing.

Rachel laughed too. "My little brother did though. I'm not talking about your powers. But he took after you in looks about as much as I took after mom."

"Poor fella… Well, let's not hold that against him, huh?" Scott said, only half jokingly.

"Well… mom always thought Nathan was the handsomest little boy who ever lived so -"

"I guess I'm not the only one seeing through rose-colored glasses, so to speak," Scott said, not surprised that Jean would find their future son, a gawky, awkward boy who looked so much like Scott, 'the handsomest little boy ever'.

"Last I saw Nate he was starting to fill out. He was looking less and less gangly each time I saw him… God I miss him so much. I miss everyone so much." Rachel said.

"I know you do, Rach… but you've got a family here too. Jean and I may not be the parents you yearn for… but I can speak for both of us when I say that you've got a home here," Scott said.

"Thanks, that means a lot to me," Rachel said.

"I'm glad. I need you to know how important you are to us… to Jean and myself. I don't want you to ever feel such despair that you would try taking your own life," Scott said.

Rachel looked humbled. "It won't ever happen again. I promise."

"Good," Scott said, kissing Rachel on the forehead. Father and daughter sat together under the tree just enjoying each other's company. Rachel allowed herself to put her head on her father's shoulder like Scott imagined she used to do as a child. He couldn't recall a time he felt more content.

Unbeknownst to the two of them, Jean was smiling from ear to ear, watching them from her bedroom window, tears of joy in her eyes. The future seemed bright indeed.

 **To be continued…**


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

 **December 20th, 1990**

 **The Mansion**

"Okay, how about Sometimes When We Touch by Dan Hill? I heard it on the radio the other day. That could be our first dance song at the reception," Scott suggested.

"Have you heard the lyrics? ' _You ask me if I love you, and I choke on my reply, I'd rather hurt you honestly than mislead you with a lie_?' Are you trying to tell me something, Scott?" Jean asked, raising her eyebrow.

"Oh… I haven't really paid attention to the lyrics. I kinda just like the melody… Okay… scratch that…" Scott said, making a motion with his pen across his notebook.

"How about Saving All My Love for You by Whitney Houston?" Jean asked.

"Hon, I know you're a big Whitney Houston fan, but _have you_ listened to those lyrics?" Scott asked, a small smirk on his face.

"Sure, I have," Jean said, then began singing off key. " _No other man's gonna do, so I'm saving all my love for you_ …"

"Yeah… that's the main part of the song… but did you realize it's a song about this woman who's a homewrecker and is trying to steal the man away from his wife and kids?" Scott said.

"What? No way!" Jean said, incredulously.

"Yeah, way!" Scott said, then proceeded to sing – to Jean's astonishment – on key. " _A few stolen moments is all that we share, you've got your family and they need you there, though I've tried to resist being last on your list, but no other man's gonna do_ …"

"First of all, I never knew you could sing. Second of all… well, I suppose there is no second of all… Fine, go ahead and scratch that song too," Jean said, dejectedly.

Scott just chuckled and jotted something down in his notebook. Jean had worried at first that Scott would find planning for their wedding a chore, but to her pleasant surprise, he was taking to it like a duck to water.

"Jean, do you remember the first song we ever danced to? It was the night of our graduation… What was it called?" Scott asked.

"Oh, I know that song… it's on the tip of my tongue… it went something like, ' _slowly now we begin to move, every breath I'm deeper into you_ -'"

Scott joined in. "' _Soon we two are standing still in time, if you read my mind-_ '"

Scott and Jean's duet was interrupted by Peter who wooshed into the kitchen to grab a Coke in the fridge. "Oooh, I love that song! Hey Scottie, I never knew you could sing… And uh, Jeannie… don't quit your day job."

Jean telekinetically threw a loaf of bread at Peter's head. He and Scott just laughed at her. Jean tried to keep a straight face, then broke into giggles… She knew she couldn't carry a tune to save her life. It was a good thing Scott wasn't marrying her for her musical talents.

"Instead of being a pain in the butt, Peter, can you tell us the name of that song?" Jean asked.

"Of course, it's Crazy For You by Madonna… Now if you two lovebirds will excuse me, I have to prep for my class tomorrow," Peter said as he zoomed out of the kitchen causing the various magazines and papers flying from under Scott and Jean.

Scott and Jean just rolled their eyes at Peter's antics. "What do you think? How about Crazy For You for our first dance? It was our first ever dance after all… Sort of poetic to use it as the first dance at our reception," Scott said.

"I agree, the song has meaning for both of us. It's perfect," Jean said.

"Let's take a break from the music part of our wedding for a few minutes and let's talk about something a little more… fun," Scott said, a suggestive smile on his face.

"Let me guess… you want to talk about our honeymoon?" Jean said, an amused look on her face.

"It's the best part," Scott said, laughing.

"What did you have in mind?" Jean asked.

"How about Disney World?" Scott suggested with so much enthusiasm, Jean almost felt bad for disagreeing.

"Umm… how about we save that trip for another time? I mean… not that it wouldn't be fun, but do we really want to be surrounded by too many sugared-up kids and stressed out parents?" Jean said.

"I guess you're right," Scott said reluctantly. "How about Niagara Falls?"

"I don't know, Scott… what with the vibrating beds and heart-shaped tubs at the hotels there… A little too garish for my taste… What do you think?"

Scott shrugged, a mischievous smile on his face. "I don't know, Jean… I can think of a thing or two we can do on a vibrating bed."

"Oh, my god, there's an image I'm going to be spending the rest of the day trying to burn out of my brain," Rachel said, walking into the kitchen.

Scott and Jean just laughed out loud at the look of revulsion on Rachel's face. Jean couldn't help but think she looked so cute. Prior to finding out their true relationship with each other, Jean had always thought that Rachel was just a prude. Even she had to take pity on Rachel - she could only imagine how she'd feel if she had to listen to hints of her parents' sex life.

"Sorry you walked in on that, Rachel," Jean said, a slight blush on her pale cheeks.

"Meh… trust me, growing up with you two, or at least your future selves… I've walked in on a whole lot worse," Rachel said, sardonically.

It took a moment for Scott to catch her meaning, then he snorted the milk he was drinking right out of his nostrils. "Oh god, Jean, we're putting deadbolts on all our doors after we have kids!"

Jean almost fell off her chair laughing. "What's so funny?" Scott asked.

"You are, honey. Besides, Rachel knows she wasn't dropped off by a stork. No lasting trauma… Isn't that right, Rach?" Jean said.

"I suppose…" Rachel said, wryly. Rachel quickly made a breakfast sandwich and took a seat next to Jean and across from Scott. It was a Sunday morning and she still hadn't gotten out of her pyjamas yet. She had her natural wavy red locks in a simple pony tail with no spectacles in sight.

Shortly after Jean revealed to Scott who Rachel really was, they had a conversation with Professor Xavier regarding Rachel's identity. Scott and Jean both felt it wasn't fair for Rachel to have to hide herself day in and day out. They wanted her to truly feel at home and that meant that their teammates should know who she was as well. After a long discussion, the professor reluctantly agreed to allow Scott and Jean to reveal to the rest of the X-Men who Rachel really was.

Rachel hadn't wanted to make a big deal out of the whole thing. So, one morning a few weeks ago, when all the X-Men were already settled around the kitchen table, Rachel came down for breakfast sans wig and glasses. She casually sat next to Scott who had Jean on his other side. At first, no one looked up from their food and even Jean hadn't noticed that Rachel wasn't wearing her usual disguise. It wasn't until there was a loud clang that everyone looked up.

It was Kurt. He dropped his plate full of food. He was returning to the table after having grabbed a second serving of pancakes when he noticed Rachel. Jean couldn't help but laugh out loud remembering Kurt's reaction. "Mein Gott, Jean! There's two of you!"

"Holy shit! Rachel, is that you?" Peter asked, incredulously.

Rachel just smiled, taking a bite of her muffin. She looked to Scott and Jean as if to say, ' _this was your idea_.'

Jean patiently explained to everyone who Rachel was, where she came from, or more accurately when she came from. She told them about how she found out, how Scott found out. She told them the professor's reluctance about revealing the truth lest there were unforeseen consequences. For the most part, with the exception of Hank, everyone around the table just nodded their heads, obviously having needed time to absorb everything.

It was Ororo who spoke first. "I can't believe we all didn't see the resemblance because of a thick pair of glasses."

"Don't forget the blonde hair," Kurt added.

"Don't feel so bad 'Ro. After all, even Lois Lane was fooled by a pair of glasses for about fifty years," Hank said.

Rachel added, "By the way, it was Hank who came up with the disguise. To this day, I still don't know why you made me a blonde."

"It was the only wig on sale," Hank shrugged.

"Well, I for one always thought you were beautiful as a blonde, but now you're beyond stunning as a redhead," Peter said, winking at Rachel, a flirtatious smile directed her way.

Jean almost laughed out loud remembering Scott's reaction, "Hey, that's my daughter you're flirting with."

"Awww, c'mon Scotty… you don't have a monopoly on redheads!" Peter whined.

"I do with these two," Scott said, receiving a hard smack from said redheads. "Ouch! What was that for?" Jean and Rachel just rolled their eyes.

"Those are quite the genes you have, Jean… pardon the pun," Raven said. "But Rachel looks so much like you I don't think I could have done a better job if I were trying to shapeshift into you."

"We're not identical guys, sheesh," Rachel said. "We have a strong resemblance, but there are differences."

"Yes… you are a bit taller than Jean," Ororo commented. Smiling, Rachel sat back waiting for others to chime in, but no one did.

"Seriously, guys? That's all you can say? I'm _slightly_ taller?" Rachel asked.

"Umm… your hair is wavier," Kurt said, ever eager to please.

"And you're single," Peter said, giving Rachel his most dashing smile. Jean knew he just did that to annoy Scott. Jean remembered the faint red glow behind Scott's glasses and couldn't help but giggle at how annoyed he was.

Since then, Rachel had wandered the mansion without the encumbrance of a wig or fake glasses. Jean knew she loved the new-found freedom. There were whispers amongst the students, but as per the professor's instructions, no one was to acknowledge anything to them. It was simply easier that way. "Let them speculate," he said.

Bringing her thoughts back to the present and the matter at hand, Jean asked, "Rachel, do you have any suggestions for a good honeymoon spot?"

"Venice… Italy," Rachel answered between bites of her food.

"I never thought of that," Jean said, really liking the suggestion. "What do you think, Scott? Oh, it would be so romantic! We can take a ride on a gondola through the Venetian Canals, visit those old churches, dine on real Italian food… It'll be so much fun!"

"If it can make you this happy just thinking about it, Jean, then let's do it!" Scott said, kissing her tenderly.

"That's a wonderful suggestion, Rachel, thanks!" Jean said.

"Yeah, you came up with the idea right quick there," Scott commented. "You wouldn't happen to have suggested that because that's where our older selves ended up spending their honeymoon?"

Rachel just gave Scott a sheepish smile. They had all agreed Rachel shouldn't give them too much information regarding the future. Now that everything was out in the open, Jean found slip-ups more common. Rachel shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal. "You guys loved it. You went back twice more after your honeymoon. The last time was just three months before I… before I left… home."

In other words, Jean thought, three months before her future self died. It was obvious Rachel couldn't bring herself to say it. Scott, probably having sensed the slight pall having just come over the conversation added, "So, if you just gave us the idea to go to Italy for our honeymoon, how did our future selves originally come up with the idea?"

Jean groaned. "Scott, we're not going to get into a Back to The Future paradox discussion are we?"

"I'm just saying…" Scott said, a bit defensively.

"I'm sure one of you guys would have come up with it eventually," Rachel said.

Jean decided to change the subject before the conversation got too serious, or too complicated. "Let's table the wedding planning for now. I think we've got plenty accomplished today already." Jean turned to Rachel and asked, "Hey Rach, Scott and I are going out to see that new movie, Home Alone tonight, why don't you come with us?"

"Yeah, Rach, it's been the number one movie for a few weeks now. I read it got great reviews," Scott added.

"Thanks, I would love to, it's actually a favorite of mine, I've seen it about a dozen times," Rachel started. Jean forgot for a moment that she'd probably seen all the major movies between then and 2016. "But I've actually got plans tonight."

"Come on, Rach… You're too much of a bookworm. The class prep can wait," Scott said.

"I'm not doing class prep. I've umm… sort of… got a date," Rachel said. Jean noticed how hard Rachel tried to sound casual, but she could see her shoulders tense.

The first reaction she got from Scott was a raised eyebrow. Jean now understood why Rachel couldn't keep a steady boyfriend. If Scott were like this now, she could only imagine older Scott. She decided to chime in before Scott could. "That's exciting, sweetie. Who's your date, is it someone we know?"

"Is it Peter?" Scott asked, a hint of warning in his voice which was a shade deeper than Jean was used to.

"No, no, it's not Peter. You haven't met this guy. I met him just a few days ago actually," Rachel said.

"Oh, that's great, what's -" Jean started to say, but was cut off by Scott.

"How did you meet him?" Scott added, "How come you didn't mention him before?"

"I was driving back from the furniture store a couple of days ago… remember I was looking for a new drafting table? Anyway, it was snowing pretty hard and my car got stuck. My wheels just kept spinning and spinning but the car wasn't moving. So, Bo -"

"Wait, 'Bo'? Who's Bo?" Scott asked, interrupting Rachel.

"His name is Bowie," Rachel said, giving her dad a glare. Jean had no doubt she was used to the interrogation from older Scott. And the fact that it was coming from young Scott must have grated on her. She had to hand it to Rachel, she was actually being quite patient. "Anyway, he offered to help me get the car out."

Jean said, "That was really nice of him. It was a -"

"And you couldn't get your car free yourself because… … what? Your telekinesis failed you at that exact moment?" Scott asked, a tad too snarky for Jean's taste. She gave him a frown which he chose to ignore.

"That's why I got out of the car. I was checking to see if I could use my powers without drawing any attention to myself and he came right on over. He offered to help and afterwards he treated me for drinks, which led to tonight's dinner date," Rachel said, finishing her story.

"So, you know nothing about him, then," Scott said. "How could you agree to a date with a complete stranger?"

Rachel shrugged. "He's not a complete stranger. I learned some things about him while we were having drinks. Besides, I found him attractive. Anyway, I figured since I'm stuck here, I might as well attempt to have a normal life."

"Rachel's right, Scott. If she sees potential in this young man why shouldn't she see if it could lead to something?" Jean said.

Scott scoffed. "He could be a convicted felon for all we know." Scott just received angry looks from both Rachel and Jean.

** _You know, Jean… I used to get aggravated whenever my dad would interrogate me about my dates… but it just felt like old times just now… Dare I say, I sort of missed it_.** Rachel telepathically said to Jean, a hint of laughter in her mental voice.

Jean just laughed out loud. "Some things just never change, huh Rach?"

"Believe it or not, I find it refreshing to note that some things never do." Rachel put a hand on Scott's shoulder. "Scott, now that you know who I really am, I know you feel a new-found sense of responsibility for me, but I'm a grown woman. More than that, I'm one of the most powerful telepaths on the planet. Add to that my telekinetic powers… well, I'm more than safe from any 'convicted felons' so to speak."

Scott's slight frown didn't leave his face. "Hmm… so is he coming to pick you up here later?"

Rachel smiled. "Yeah, he's coming to get me at six o'clock. Anyway, I'm just going to get out of these PJs now and run to the mall before tonight. I just have a few errands I need to get done. See you guys later!"

Jean watched Rachel leave the kitchen. She then turned to look at Scott, an amused expression on her face.

"What?" Scott asked.

Jean just sighed, "I think for the sake of your sanity, we might be better off having sons."

"Quiet, you."

Jean just laughed.

 **To be continued…**


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

 **6 o'clock later that evening**

"Wow, Rachel… you look lovely."

Rachel couldn't help but blush at the sincere compliment she just received from her date. She had on a simple black dress with relatively short two-inch heels. She had her hair styled in an easy chignon and Jean lent her a pair of diamond drop earrings and a turquoise pendant necklace.

She looked over her date from head to toes and had to admit, he was pretty "lovely" himself. He stood about 6'2", and 180lbs. He was built like an Olympic swimmer. What's not to love? He also seemed to have a good sense of style wearing black dress pants, and a simple blue collared shirt that, for whatever reason, complimented his angel-like blonde hair. Rachel also noticed his black shoes were recently and meticulously polished. He definitely put in some effort for the evening… that was a good sign.

"You're looking handsome yourself, Bo," Rachel answered, smiling.

"I hope you're in the mood for steak, I got us reservations at Delmonico's," Bo said.

"That sounds wonderful, I'll just quickly run inside and grab my purse then we can be on our way," Rachel said.

"Sure, no rush," Bo said, giving her a smile.

Rachel was halfway to her room when she heard the oh-so-familiar voice of her father resonating around the area where Bo was waiting for her… Darn the man! Rachel quickly grabbed her purse and ran back towards the entrance to save her date.

"Oh hey, Rachel, I just bumped into your friend here on my way to find Jean. I was just introducing myself," Scott said, innocently.

** _Accidentally bumped into him on purpose, you mean?_ ** Rachel sent out to Scott telepathically. Scott just smiled at her, not missing a beat.

Scott turned back to Bo. "So, are you from around here?"

"Born and raised in New York. I live not too far in North Hills," Bo answered.

"I see, so what do you do for a living?" Scott continued with his twenty questions.

"I work as a corporate lawyer with Fischer Corporate Law Group," Bo answered politely.

** _Lawyers aren't exactly known for their honesty, Rachel_ ,** Scott thought out loud. Rachel didn't even acknowledge it with a look. "So… Law huh? That takes years of studying and going to school… So, you've gotta be like, almost forty now?" Scott asked, continuing to fish for information.

Luckily for Rachel, Bo seemed to think that Scott was kidding around and just chuckled at his question. "Actually, I'm turning 31 next month, so not quite ancient yet."

** _That's almost a nine-year gap…_ ** Scott projected.

** _I can count, thanks,_ ** Rachel threw back.

Bo then asked Scott, "So what do you do for a living, Scott?"

"I'm a math teacher, I work with the kids here… Say, speaking of kids… umm, do you have any?" Scott asked. Rachel cleared her throat very loudly letting Scott know that she wasn't happy with his line of questioning.

** _Jean, for god's sake, I need you at the front door right now! Scott's cross-examining my date. I need you to rein him in!_ ** Rachel yelled, telepathically.

"Oh umm… I uhh… have a two-year-old daughter with my ex-fiancée," Bo answered. Rachel didn't have to be a telepath to know how incredibly uncomfortable he got with Scott's last question.

"Hmm… I see," Scott continued. "Child support must be rough huh?"

Before Bo could answer, Jean came running in from the side corridor of the mansion. "Scott, I've been looking all over for you. We have a movie to catch remember?" Jean said, glaring at her fiancé.

"Our movie isn't for another hour-" but before Scott could finish his sentence, Jean turned to Rachel's date.

"Hello, we haven't met yet. My name is Jean, I'm one of the teachers here at the school. I've heard so much about you from Rachel," Jean said, extending her hand and flashing a most brilliant smile at Bo, causing Scott to frown slightly.

"Very nice to meet you, Jean," Bo answered, warmly shaking Jean's hand. He turned to Rachel and said, "Rachel, you never told me you had a sister."

"What are you talking about I don't have a sis-" Rachel started but was interrupted by Jean's deliberate coughing. "I meant… I don't have a sister _except_ for this one right here," Rachel laughed a bit nervously pointing to Jean.

"Well, I must say, there must be something in the water where you ladies come from because beauty definitely runs in your blood," Bo said charmingly, making both Jean and Rachel blush and Scott to cross his arms and roll his eyes – at least Rachel imagined him rolling his eyes.

"Anyway, it was so nice to meet you, Bo," Jean said, taking Scott's arm. "But Scott and I will be late for our movie so we've gotta get going. Maybe next time we can chat a little longer over lunch or something."

"I'd love to, thanks… Umm, nice meeting you too, Scott," Bo said, politely. Before Scott could answer, Jean literally yanked him away. Rachel looked over her shoulder at a retreating Jean and mouthed 'thank you'.

"So, your sister's with Scott then?" Bo asked.

"Yes, he's her fiancé," Rachel answered.

"Oh, he's your future brother-in-law? That's nice," Bo said, but then Rachel caught his stray thought ** _That's one odd brother-in-law. I wonder if he has a thing for Rachel._ **

Rachel could only hold back a groan. Darn the man!

 **11pm later that night**

 **The mansion**

"Scott, why do you keep staring at the clock?" Jean asked, cuddling closer to Scott in front of the television. They just got back home from the theatre and were sharing a tub of ice-cream on the couch.

Scott ignored the question. "Jean, how long does it take to go through a three-course meal?"

"Scott… don't even go there," Jean said, a hint of warning in her voice.

"I'm just saying… I've calculated how long it takes to drive to Delmonico's, find parking, get seated, eat, chat and go… And Rachel should have been back at least an hour ago," Scott said.

"Going on a date isn't a math formula, honey," Jean said, taking another bite of ice-cream.

"And did you see that little black dress Rachel was wearing? Doesn't leave much to the imagination does it?" Scott said.

"Hey, I lent that dress to Rachel… Besides, you weren't complaining the last time I wore it," Jean said.

"You're my fiancée, Jean, of course I loved the dress on you… but Rachel's my kid and -"

"See, there's the problem – she's not a kid. She's only a couple of years younger than we are. You can't treat her like a child otherwise you'll end up pushing her away," Jean said.

Scott sighed, running his hand through his hair. "It's just that I know how men can be… They like to brag to their friends about their conquests, a lot don't care if they hurt the girl they're with as long as they can score… These days all you need to do is turn on the news and hear about men drugging their dates, or forcing themselves on them… I don't want our daughter to be a victim of that."

"Oh, Scott, we just have to trust that we – our future selves – raised her right. And seeing how she turned out, it looks like we did a good job. Besides, if Rachel wanted to, she could turn her date into a drooling vegetable with a single thought. I think that should give you some peace of mind," Jean said.

"… Some." Scott said, reluctantly.

"It's just something you have to get used to just a little earlier. We were blessed with a pretty daughter… Young men chasing after her will be a regular occurrence," Jean said, matter-of-factly.

Scott couldn't help but scoff at that. "She looks just like you, Jean. She's far more than _just pretty_ ," Scott said, miserably.

Jean pulled away from Scott and jokingly tried to smooth the wrinkles on his forehead. "Time to turn that frown upside down, darling," Jean said.

Scott just ignored Jean's attempt to get him to smile. "And you know what I found out about her date? He's got a kid. _And_ , he never married the mother of his child. What does that say about him, huh?"

"Too early to judge, Scott," Jean said, simply.

"How can you take all this in stride? Aren't you worried at all about her?" Scott asked, looking at Jean.

"She's twenty-two, almost twenty-three. I don't worry about things like that. I worry about her standing on pressure plates rigged to explode. I worry about her getting into a vehicle accident where she might not have enough time to protect herself with her powers. I worry about her getting hurt on a mission… Most of all, I worry that one day she'll just disappear because she's not really from this time and I have no idea what rules come with time-travel. _Those_ are the things I worry about, Scott… Not some harmless guy who happens to find our daughter attractive," Jean said.

Scott let out a deep breath. "Must you _always_ be the voice of reason?"

"There should only be one overprotective parent in the family," Jean said, wryly.

Before Scott could answer, they heard the door unlock and familiar footsteps approach. "Hey Scott, Jean… did you guys enjoy, Home Alone?" Rachel asked, dropping her purse on the floor.

"Yeah, we enjoyed it. It was really funny. How was your date?" Jean asked.

"It was fine. The food was wonderful. Delmonico's is just amazing – such a great atmosphere. It's probably the fanciest restaurant I've ever been to," Rachel answered.

"So… you just came from the restaurant?" Scott asked as casually as he could. But Rachel and Jean, both being telepaths, saw right through him.

"Don't you mean to ask if I came back from his place?" Rachel said.

Scott raised his hands in defense. "Hey, you said it, not me."

"But you were thinking it," Rachel said.

Scott just looked at Rachel, a slightly guilty expression on his face. Rachel seemed to take pity on him and answered, "Of course I didn't just come back from his place. I just met the guy after all… I was raised better than that."

Rachel took the tub of ice cream from Jean and sat next to her on the couch. "Besides, I told him tonight I just wasn't ready for a relationship. I'd be surprised if he calls me again."

"But why, Rach? He seemed really nice… not to mention easy on the eyes," Jean said, giggling.

"Hey!" Scott said, indignantly.

"Honey, I'm engaged, not blind," Jean said, not taking her eyes off Rachel.

"You could at least wait 'til I'm out of hearing range," Scott mumbled.

Rachel and Jean just ignored him. "He's all that for sure… but I didn't feel any sparks with him. I actually found myself looking at my watch a few times throughout dinner. I figured that wasn't a good sign."

"Well, it takes time to build a rapport with someone. It's good to be friends first. Take Scott and I for example… we didn't even like each other the first time we met," Jean said.

Scott scoffed. "That was your fault, Jean."

"Oh really? Weren't you the one who told me he didn't want some weird girl creeping around in his head?" Jean said.

"Well, you're the one who rudely told me to watch where I was going… Never mind that I was blindfolded at the time," Scott said.

"Yeah, but -"

"Okay, okay, stop it, you two… trust me, I've heard this about a dozen times before. You guys started off as enemies for like a _whole day_ ," Rachel said, sarcastically. "But the point I'm trying to make is that, even back then, you guys weren't indifferent to each other. There was something right from the start. A spark let's say… or a connection of some sort."

Scott and Jean both shrugged knowing it was true. Rachel continued, "The thing is… growing up with you two as parents… I have to say, you guys set a high bar on love and relationships. My expectations are pretty high. Over the years, relationships fell apart all around you, but yours stood the test of time… Not only that, but it seemed to get stronger every day. Your future selves were still excited to be with each other even when I was already an adult."

Scott smiled at Rachel, "I'm not surprised to hear that, Rachel. My close bond with Jean may also stem from the fact that we were friends long before we became anything more."

"Well see, that's the thing, if I found myself bored just having dinner with Bo as a friend… how much more if I spent the next twenty years with him? Besides, I caught him checking out the waitress at the restaurant. He did it discreetly, but his thoughts were projecting."

"The dog…" Scott mumbled.

Rachel and Jean just rolled their eyes. "It actually reminded me of this time when I was twelve years old. I was still a student here and you guys were both teachers. For propriety's sake, I was never in any of your classes… Anyway, I got this new teacher for my English class. All the boys drooled over her. She had blonde hair, blue eyes and legs up to her neck. She looked like she walked right off the pages of a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit magazine…"

Scott looked at Jean wondering where Rachel was going with the story, but Jean just gave him a look that told him to be patient.

Rachel continued, "Then rumors started at the school that the new teacher had eyes for my dad. I didn't really know what to think of that… I mean, he's always been dad to me. I've never seen him as anything else, least of all a man that women could be attracted to. But then, even I began to notice the new teacher had a tendency to hover around him all the time. She'd try to catch him on his lunch breaks, or walk with him to his next class. I remembered walking into his office one day and she was there, sitting on his desk, leaned over him and his papers, her breasts in his face…"

Scott noticed Jean frown and raise her eyebrow. She was probably making a mental note to screen all potential new faculty members moving forward. Blondes need not apply.

Rachel went on, "But my dad didn't even look up. I caught his thoughts and they weren't on her… They were on my mom… In fact, he was annoyed that the new teacher was taking up his time when he was trying to get his work done as fast as he could so he could go home."

"Good," Jean said smiling, and kissing Scott on the cheek. "Had Rachel's story ended any other way, you'd have found yourself sleeping on the couch for a very _long_ time."

Scott smiled smugly at Jean, but mentally, he exhaled a breath of relief. It wasn't that he would ever be unfaithful to Jean… It was just that he was afraid his future self might have done something stupid… like look.

"So, you see," Rachel said. "That's the kind of man I want to fall in love with. Someone who I can trust and who'll love me and won't ever betray me or do anything to hurt me… Even if the proverbial forbidden fruit was dangling in front of his face, so to speak."

Scott and Jean just laughed at Rachel's description. "You certainly do have a way with words, Rach," Jean said.

Scott added, "As flattered as I am that I set such a high standard for the men in your life, don't be too hard on them… Don't get me wrong, I don't want you to go easy on them… but not too hard. Trust me, _I'll_ make it hard enough for them. Take me for example, it took a while for me to even become boyfriend material for your mom, let alone fiancé material."

Jean said, "Yeah, the first time Scott and I hung out outside the school, we went to the mall and we ended up in this record store. He pulled out this Culture Club album with Boy George on the cover and said, 'Hey, has anyone ever told you, you look like this?'"

Scott laughed, "I was just trying to get a rise out of you, Jean. Anyway, you called me an asshole."

"Because you were!" Jean said, laughing. "See, Rach… he's come a long way."

"Yeah, I guess so," Rachel acknowledged.

Scott got up from the couch and stretched. "Ladies, I'll leave you two to your gossip… I'm turning in." Scott turned to Jean and asked, "Hon, you want me to fix you up a hot bath?"

"Oh, that'd be wonderful, thanks, Scott!" Jean said, going up on her knees and kissing him. "I'll be up in twenty."

Rachel watched Scott walk out of the living room, then turned to Jean. "You've got to tell me how you got him to go from comparing you to Boy George, to preparing hot baths for you."

Jean just laughed. "Trust me, it didn't happen overnight. It took a lot of patience on my end."

"I guess it's true what they say then, 'Good things come to those who wait,'" Rachel added.

"It does indeed," Jean said.

The two of them spent another half an hour chatting about anything and everything under the sun until Scott came back down to tell Jean that her bath was getting cold. Scott had to smile when he saw the two women in his life gossiping and sharing a tub of ice-cream. Two peas in a pod those two, he mused. He felt blessed.

 **Later that night**

She couldn't breathe! She was drowning. The water was crushing her from all sides. The more she struggled, the worse it got. Her lungs burned for air and although she knew there was none available, her body took a breath anyway. Cold, salt water filled her lungs. The pain was agonizing. Her chest felt like it was going to burst –

Rachel shot up straight in bed. She was covered in sweat, gasping for breath. Her heart was pounding. She looked around and finally recognized her bedroom. The familiarity of it calmed her down a bit. It was a nightmare… a terrible, frightening nightmare. She was drowning. She found it strange that the experience felt so real. Rachel's never had a near drowning experience before. Could her subconscious have created such a realistic scenario just from her imagination?

She lay back down on her bed and stared at the ceiling. Her dream – no, her nightmare – felt more than just that… Was it a warning? Had she overstayed her welcome in this time? Was the dream a premonition of something to come? She finally just started breathing normally when she heard a knock on her bedroom door.

"Come in," Rachel answered.

The door slowly opened, and Jean peaked inside. "You okay, Rach? I felt your panic… your distress, it was so strong. Bad nightmare?"

Rachel nodded. "Sorry I woke you… I usually have a tighter rein on my thoughts and -"

"Don't be sorry," Jean said, coming inside the room and sitting next to Rachel on her bed. "I got worried… The last time I felt someone experience that kind of fear was when I was in my friend Annie's mind as she was… dying. I wasn't even trying to read your mind, I was sound asleep when you projected so strongly."

"I can't understand it myself. To be honest, I've never been prone to nightmares. I mean, I had them shortly after my mom – the future you – died. But other than that…" Rachel trailed off.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Jean asked.

"I'd rather not, if you don't mind. I'd like to forget about it as soon as I can. I'd rather not re-live it by talking about it," Rachel said.

"I understand… Do you want me to stay here until you fall back asleep?" Jean asked.

"No, no… Please, go back to sleep. I'm feeling better already," Rachel answered.

Jean raised an eyebrow at her, obviously skeptical of her answer. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. Go back to Scott… He'll end up getting up too if he notices you're gone. I promise I won't crawl into bed with you two if I get another nightmare," Rachel joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Jean chuckled. "Is that what you used to do when you were a kid?"

"Yeah… it was rare, but yeah, that's what I did." Rachel added more seriously, "But I'm not a kid anymore, Jean. And you can't soothe my nightmares away. Go on… I'm fine, really."

"Okay then… just shout out if you need anything," Jean said, hugging Rachel before reluctantly taking her leave. Rachel watched her door shut. Alone with just her thoughts again, she couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding. She definitely couldn't go back to sleep anymore so she got up and went to her writing desk. She took out a loose-leaf paper and began to write…

 **To be continued…**


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

 **December 23rd, 1990**

 **Outside the mansion**

"Don't do it, Peter!" Rachel yelled.

Scott looked up to see Peter about to throw a huge snowball at his daughter. But before he could, Rachel telekinetically lifted him about fifteen feet off the snow-covered ground. She held him upside down, the giant snowball still in his hands.

"I wasn't gonna do anything," Peter said, innocently. But there was no fooling Rachel. That snowball had her name on it. "Come on, Rach, put me down!"

Rachel pretended to drop Peter by letting him fall about five feet before catching him again. "Ahhh! Oh my God, are you trying to kill me?!" Peter screamed.

Jean who was watching the whole thing just laughed beside Scott as she was telekinetically putting up more Christmas lights around the mansion. "Should I put a stop to their antics, Jean? I'd hate for Peter to end up with a broken neck," Scott said, sardonically.

"And to think, not too long ago you were worried for Rachel when it came to men," Jean said, smiling at her fiancé.

Scott just laughed. "You're right, it's them who needs protection from her."

Scott looked back at Rachel and Peter and noticed Kurt creeping up behind them with a snowball in each hand. With a loud bampf, he quickly teleported right above Rachel. He hung on the edge of the mansion's roof by his tail and threw the snowballs right at her head.

But Kurt wasn't quick enough. Rachel threw up a psionic shield around herself and the snowballs didn't even touch her. Peter groaned, still hanging upside down, held up by invisible hands. "For god's sake, Kurt, you were like three feet above her! Epic fail, Elf!"

Before Kurt could respond, a huge snowball began forming telekinetically and was thrown right at him. Bulls eye! Rachel two; Peter and Kurt zero. It'd been a while since all of them found the time to have a bit of fun. Scott was glad for the small reprieve.

"Put me down, Rach!" Peter whined. "It's not funny anymore."

"Wasn't there something you were going to say to me? Some sort of repentance, perhaps?" Rachel laughed, continuing to taunt Peter by swinging him slightly back and forth in the air.

"Not on your life, Red!" Peter threw back.

"Suit yourself," Rachel said. And with that, she dropped Peter from about six feet from the snow-covered grass making sure he landed on his butt.

"Ooomph! Remind me never to pick a fight with you," Peter said, good naturedly, brushing the snow off his rear.

"And don't you forget it!" Rachel said, giggling.

"Ahhh, to be young again," Hank said as he approached the trio of Rachel, Kurt and Peter. "I'm afraid I've gotten too old for roughhousing these days."

"I wouldn't say that, Hank," Ororo said, floating down from the nearest fir tree she just covered in Christmas lights; one of several around the mansion.

Hank laughed. "Thank you, 'Ro! Still though, what would people think if a reputable scientist such as myself were to engage in such immaturity?"

Ororo looked like she was about to answer when Raven came up to the door and called everyone in. "Dinner's ready guys. Get it while it's hot."

And with that, Scott watched the gang stumble over each other to get into the house. He was just plugging in the last of the lights when he heard Jean's soft, beautiful voice say from behind him, "I don't think I've ever seen Rachel this happy since she got here."

"We were right, Jean. We were right to let everyone know who she truly was. It's given her a sense of freedom, of belonging," Scott said, standing up and turning around to face his fiancée.

Scott watched Jean walk closer towards him in that elegant way of hers that never failed to mesmerize him. Her long, red hair was pulled back in an intricate braid, and it swung to the side as she leaned in to kiss him. He was one lucky man. The only woman he ever loved had agreed to marry him. He sometimes had to pinch himself to believe it was really happening.

He and Jean had plans to spend Christmas Eve with his folks the following night. Then, they promised Jean's parents that they would have dinner with them Christmas Evening. They were planning to announce their engagement to each set of parents on both nights. They tried hard to convince Rachel to go with them, but she refused saying, "Who knows what could happen if my grandparents saw a grown-up version of me… I'd rather not risk it."

So, Scott and Jean insisted on having a big Christmas dinner at the mansion with all their friends two days before Christmas. They tacitly agreed that Rachel was going to have a huge Christmas dinner this year around. Luckily enough, none of the team had any plans on leaving to see family until the following day, so it all worked out.

"We should head in, Scott," Jean said, taking his hand in hers. "There won't be any food left for us if we hang out here much longer."

"Lead the way, pretty lady," Scott said, smiling.

 **After dinner**

"What do you mean, it touched the net?" Peter all but growled.

"Which part didn't you understand, Peter?" Rachel teased, her smile softening her sarcasm.

Rachel and Ororo were teamed up against Peter and Hank in a rather intense game of table tennis.

"It's our serve, boys," Ororo said, as she took the ping pong ball from Rachel.

Jean couldn't help but smile as well, watching the game unfold before her. She always found herself laughing inside whenever she saw Rachel's competitive nature come out. She was a replica of her father in that aspect. It was a good thing Scott was occupied elsewhere playing a game of chess with Raven. She could only imagine the father-daughter duo engaged in ping pong. They'd wring each other's necks on the same team if the other were to mess up. That, or the game would turn into a death match if they were on opposing teams. Scott and Rachel seemed to live by the same code: Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing.

Jean got a little bored watching the table tennis match and moved to join Kurt in front of the television. He was about to put in a VHS of It's a Wonderful Life when the professor came into the room, a grave look on his face. "Professor, is something wrong?" Jean asked, sensing his mood.

"I'm afraid so, Jean," Professor Xavier answered. Addressing everyone, he said, "I'm terribly sorry to interrupt the festivities like this, but an urgent matter has come up."

Jean had to stifle a groan. Everyone's thoughts also projected that they felt the same way, something she was sure the professor didn't miss. Regardless, everyone dropped what they were doing and gathered around to hear what he had to say.

"I've been in touch with Moira MacTaggert as well as Senator Markinson. We think we know what happened to those men and women who have randomly disappeared the last several weeks, seemingly with no connection to each other," the professor said.

The city had been on edge with the recent spate of kidnappings that started a little over a month ago. A division of the FBI dealing with missing persons contacted the professor to see if he could help. Alex Kersh, Assistant Director of the FBI was a childhood friend of Charles and knew of his special talents and thought he might be able to shed some light on the situation.

"It's been discovered that the six men and women that disappeared were all mutants. They were closet mutants so to speak. No one but their closest family members knew," the professor said.

"That can't be a coincidence," Ororo said.

"My thoughts, exactly, Storm," Xavier said. "Anyway, Senator Markinson told me of an Operation ORCA he was asked to vote on not too long ago. It was an operation he opposed which made him a target of the FOH."

"The files on Operation ORCA were also the ones Magneto wanted to get his hands on in Langley," Raven said.

"What is this Operation Orca?" Kurt asked.

"Senator Markinson told me that if the bill received enough votes, that it would grant government researchers the funding and resources to learn about how to strip mutants of their powers. It's essentially a program to eliminate mutants in the world by taking away their special abilities," the professor said.

"That can't be legal," Jean said.

"It isn't, yet. But here's where it gets interesting. It seems the Special Operations Group within the CIA has already implemented operation ORCA and they are currently carrying out experiments – it would seem, without Washington's approval… for now."

"So, those missing mutants…?" Peter started to ask.

"We believe they've been kidnapped to be experimented on. After all of you were able to stop Magneto's team from stealing the files from the CIA, Moira began digging for information on her own. She informed me that she saw a file meant for Director Webster that stated Selena Reyes, one of the missing mutants, died during an experiment attempt to alter her DNA," the professor said.

"My God!" several X-Men said in unison.

"Yes, as you can see, time is of the essence to save these people," Xavier said. "Moira and Senator Markinson are already in the process of disclosing this to Washington, but who knows when they'll be able to act… if ever. The CIA will of course do all in their power to deny all proceedings."

"But save them from where? Where are they being held?" Rachel asked.

"According to the files on Operation Orca that Moira was able to make copies of, the mutants are being held in a massive underwater research facility near Cayman Trough. It's located in the Caribbean Sea between Jamaica and the Cayman Islands."

"Did you say underwater?" Rachel asked. Jean didn't miss the trepidation in her voice.

"Yes, Rachel," the professor answered. "The facility is run by, at any given time, ten scientists and CIA personnel, all heavily armed. According to the files, the facility houses four manned submersibles, each capable of holding six occupants at a time."

"Do we know exactly where the facility is underwater?" Peter asked.

"Yes, Peter. The files Moira obtained for us holds the coordinates. It's located approximately a thousand meters underwater," the professor answered.

"Are we supposed to scuba dive our way down there?" Scott asked.

"No, Scott. That would be too taxing on your bodies… Not to mention there's an easier way to get there," Professor Xavier answered. "You'll fly to the Cayman Islands. Cyclops will lead the mission. Jean, Rachel, Kurt, Hank and Raven, the rest of you will make up the rescue team. You are to head to South Sound in George Town. There, you will find researchers with the University of Tampa on a marine biology project. You are to steal their submersible and make your way down to the research facility. Once you get close enough, Kurt will teleport all of you inside. Once inside, you will rescue the captured mutants, steal as much data as possible as evidence… If that's impossible, then destroy as much of the research as you can."

"Easy-peasy huh, Professor?" Peter said, sarcastically.

"I'm afraid there's more, Peter. The entire underwater facility is imbued with a power dampener shield. It's a safety precaution in case the captured mutants try to fight back or escape."

"Whoa, wait a second… are you saying we'd all be powerless once we're inside?" Scott asked.

"That's exactly what I'm saying, Scott. I need you all to understand how inherently dangerous this mission is. Not only for the location which is almost a mile underwater, but for the consequences if the CIA was to become successful in their research," the professor answered.

"I take it we will have to steal one of the government submersibles in order to escape the underwater facility?" Hank asked.

"That's right, Hank. Like I said, they have four submersibles at any given time. Each one able to hold six occupants."

"And you're sure about this, Professor? If you're wrong, and there aren't enough submersibles to bring us back to the surface, we'll all drown," Jean said.

"The files indicate it so, Jean. That being said, of course it's not a guarantee. I understand what I'm asking of all of you… but the repercussions of their research becoming a success is unimaginable for us… for mutantkind," Professor Xavier said.

Scott turned to the professor. "Sir, is it imperative we have Jean and Rachel on this mission? I know their telepathy and telekinesis are invaluable, but the majority of the mission will render them powerless anyway -"

Before the professor could answer, Jean quickly protested. "Do you think I'll let you go down there alone, Scott?"

Scott turned to Jean. "I'm not doubting your skills, Jean. Yours or Rachel's… but I don't want either of you on this mission. It's too dangerous."

"That's not your decision to make, Scott," Jean said, angrily. Scott was about to make a retort when the professor interrupted.

"Scott, I know how you feel. Trust me, I do. But Jean has extensive training in first aid and we don't know what condition the captive mutants will be in. Storm will be a liability to this mission because of her claustrophobia so she cannot go. And Rachel has first-hand experience with dealing with power dampeners from her own time and her knowledge might prove to be useful. And there's simply no room for a seventh member, so Peter stays. The roster is not up for debate, Scott," the professor said, sternly.

Jean sensed Scott about to argue and knew it would turn into a full-blown row so she told him telepathically, ** _You can't stop me, Scott. Even if Professor Xavier agreed with you, I'm going anyway. You can't choose to do things on your own whenever you feel scared for my safety. You said it yourself, we're stronger together. I wish myself that Rachel didn't have to go with us -_ **

** _But just like her mother… she'd go anyway,_ ** Scott thought, wryly.

The professor must have sensed Scott's inner resignation and said, "I want you all suited up and in the air in twenty."

 **To be continued…**


	16. Chapter 15

**Author's Notes:** I've done as much research as I could on underwater conditions as well as the mechanics of submersibles. That being said, there's so much to learn and some aspects of what I learned just didn't work out for the story I wanted to tell. So, I've taken liberties with a lot of the technical aspect. I hope that doesn't take away from your enjoyment of it, as well as the heart of the story. Enjoy.

 **Chapter 15**

 **December 24th, 1990**

 **The Cayman Trough – Approaching 1000 meters underwater**

Scott looked at the main console on the AVL manned submersible his team was currently aboard. The computer readings indicated they were approaching the 600-meter mark of their journey. Hank was currently at the controls and was maneuvering the submersible to their destination. A destination that Scott couldn't yet see out the porthole. Aside from the light the submersible was emitting, it was complete darkness underwater.

Scott looked over at Jean who looked like she was conversing with Rachel telepathically. He knew Jean was still angry at him for trying to stop her from going on this mission. He wasn't going to apologize. Jean and Rachel were his family. It was his job to make sure both were safe at all times. Going under a kilometer in unknown waters, facing unknown dangers was the furthest thing from safe in his mind.

But like it always had, it didn't sit well with him whenever he and Jean were at odds. It bothered him more than he'd like to admit. He walked over to where she and Rachel were seated. He put his hand on Jean's shoulder and projected his thoughts loud enough so she'd be sure to catch them. ** _Please don't be mad at me, Jean. I didn't object to you coming on this mission because I thought you weren't capable… I was merely trying to buy myself some peace of mind._ **

** _At the expense of mine?_ ** Jean asked, raising her left eyebrow at him.

** _What do you mean?_ ** Scott asked.

** _I mean, you wanted to leave me behind so you'd have peace of mind knowing I was safe. But you didn't stop to think how worried I'd be not knowing how you were,_ ** Jean said, angrily.

** _Something like that, yeah_ ,** Scott admitted.

** _Well, that's not how this whole relationship thing works, Scott. You can't choose to leave me behind when it suits you. We're either together, or we're not,_ ** Jean said. Scott could sense how exasperated she was at him.

Scott couldn't help but smile at Jean's determination. She'd always been obstinate. It's one of the things he loved about her… and the very trait that would probably take years off his life over time. He laughed inside at the thought. ** _You know… I'm your husband in all but name and that'll change in just a few months… What happened to love, cherish and obey, till death do us part?_ **

Jean laughed out loud at that, causing Raven, Hank and Kurt to turn around and stare. Jean just gave them a sheepish smile in return. The trio, realizing that Scott and Jean were having a telepathic conversation, quickly went back to what they were doing, albeit with some eyerolls thrown their way.

** _Darling, I will love and cherish you beyond death… but if you're looking for obedience, you've picked the wrong wife,_ ** Jean said. Scott didn't miss the hint of amusement in her thoughts.

Scott took Jean's hand in his. **J _ust promise me you'll stay close to me. I don't want you taking unnecessary risks._ **

** _Alright… but that goes for you too,_ ** Jean replied.

Scott turned to Rachel and said out loud, " _And_ that goes for you too, Rach." Rachel just smiled at him. Scott knew she "heard" his entire exchange with Jean. But Scott noticed Rachel's smile didn't reach her eyes. He sensed some anxiety in her.

"You alright, Rachel?" Scott asked as he knelt in front of her.

"Yeah… I umm… Just have a bad feeling about this whole mission," Rachel answered.

Jean said, "I wish you had chosen to stay, Rach."

"I know, but I had this feeling that I'd regret it if I didn't go… Besides, what makes you guys think I'd do any better being left behind to worry?" Rachel answered.

Scott could only shake his head. They were one stubborn family the lot of them… He wouldn't trade it for the world.

"There it is," Hank said, from the controls. Scott looked out the porthole and saw the research facility they'd been looking for. It was relatively big, about a quarter of the size of a football field. If Scott had to guess, it was about 100 feet long and 60 feet wide. There were no portholes, so they couldn't see inside the facility. That could be a problem for Kurt.

"Kurt, is it going to be a problem for you to teleport us all in there without seeing what's inside?" Scott asked his friend.

"There's a chance I could end up teleporting us into a wall or something… but luckily, Moira was able to supply us with a layout of the facility. I could take an educated guess as to the best place to teleport us. It's not without its risks, but it's better than nothing," Kurt answered in his thick German accent. "Perhaps I could go in alone first."

"I'm afraid that's not possible. According to the files we received, the entire facility is covered by a power dampener. Once you're inside, you won't be able to use your powers again… none of us will," Raven said.

Kurt put his hand on his forehead. "Ahhh, yes, I completely forgot. Thank you, Raven."

Hank maneuvered the sub as close to the facility as possible. According to the layout they should be right outside one of the laboratories. Most research and CIA personnel should be asleep as it was three o'clock in the morning. However, several on watch duty would be patrolling the facility. But the laboratories should be empty.

Knowing ahead of time that they would be powerless in the facility, the team also brought along firearm in case of any trouble. The facility personnel were heavily armed in case their captives attempted to escape. The X-Men needed to anticipate any outcome. So, they all strapped on their concealed handguns, a SIG Sauer P228, inside their uniforms. Scott was worried about the use of firearms. They were all trained in their use, but they've never actually had to use them in a real scenario. He hoped it didn't have to come to that.

Rachel and Hank quickly grabbed a couple of more bags of gear and soon joined the others. "Everyone, gather around Kurt and hold on to him. Stay as still as you can. This will be rough on him. He hasn't teleported this many people since we fought Apocalypse," Scott said. He turned to Kurt. "You ready?"

Kurt nodded, looking a little too nervous for Scott's taste. He made the sign of the cross, took a deep breath and put his right hand on Scott's shoulder. BAMPF! In a split second they were no longer in the sub, but instead they were inside one of the empty laboratories in the facility.

"You did it, Kurt!" Rachel said, hugging him, then helped him to one of the chairs in the corner.

"Well done, Kurt. Take a breather, we can handle things for now," Scott said.

"I can confirm we don't have our powers any longer," Raven said. "I've reverted back to my blue form and can't morph into anyone else."

"Raven's right. I can't even move that beaker on the table telekinetically," Jean said. "At least we anticipated this."

Scott nodded at Jean. Looking around the lab, Scott noticed how very high tech it was. There were electronics and machines he had no names for. There was a refrigeration unit in the far end of the room that looked to be storing tissue and blood samples. There were scales, petri dishes and test tubes everywhere. Behind the door hung a bunch of lab coats and goggles.

"Oh, my God!" Rachel gasped.

"What is it, Rachel?" Jean asked, running to where she stood.

Rachel took a piece of equipment that Scott didn't recognize off a table. It was a metal item which had a round shape. "In the future, we call this an inhibitor collar," Rachel said. She looked at Jean and continued. "They put this on us when we were captured… the night you died. It's why we were so vulnerable. It shuts down the synapses of your brain that allow you to activate your powers."

"Oh my…" Hank said in disbelief.

Rachel continued her explanation. "You see, the power dampener currently surrounding the entire facility does its job, but it consumes a tremendous amount of power. Also, if the main power source were to be shut down, then the entire system fails. But these collars work independently. More than that, there's a huge danger in forcing these off as they could cause permanent neural damage."

"Is that collar in your hand currently functional?" Hank asked.

"It doesn't seem so," Rachel said. "It's obviously one of the things they're researching down here. This might very well be the prototype. All I can tell you is that by my time, twenty-six years from now, it's not only functional, it's mass produced."

"We're not going to let that come to pass," Raven said, taking the collar from Rachel and putting it into a bag.

Scott put his hand on Rachel's shoulder. "Raven's right… We won't let that happen, Rach. I promise."

"So, what do we do now, Scott?" Hank asked.

"We have two objectives. One is to gather as much evidence as we can, as well as to sabotage as much research as possible. The other is to free the mutant captives here. We'll split up. Kurt still needs time to rest and recuperate. Hank and Rachel will stay with Kurt here and go through all this data."

"And the rest of you?" Kurt asked.

"Raven, Jean and I will search the facility to find the mutant captives," Scott answered. "And remember, we don't have our powers so be very, very careful and alert. The moment we find the other mutants, we'll be bringing them to the docking bay where the submersibles are and make our escape. Hank, Kurt and Rachel, you guys will meet us there. Make sure all your comms are turned on."

"We got it, Cyke. You guys go on," Hank said.

With that, Scott took one last look back at the other half of the team he's leaving behind. He was especially worried about Rachel who was obviously shaken up with seeing that inhibitor collar. But there was no time to make sure she was alright. They had a job to do.

Scott, Jean and Raven slowly made their way down one of the narrow corridors of the facility. According to the layout, the cell where the mutants were being held was about twenty more feet around the right corner. They made their way closer, staying as near to the walls as possible. When they reached the corner, they noticed two guards standing outside the cell door.

Without their powers, there was no way to get through those guards without a physical altercation. And Scott didn't want to risk any of his team members getting hurt, especially Jean. He knew Jean was fit and trained in hand to hand combat, but she was still as vulnerable as any woman against a man twice her size. The guards were also armed, much to Scott's dismay. If weapons were fired, the whole facility would be alerted to their presence.

"How do we get past those two?" Raven whispered.

Scott took an empty metal flask from his pocket and flashed it at Raven. "I'll distract them. When they move away from the door, we'll take them from behind. We have to move fast. We can't give them a chance to reach for their weapons. I'll get the one on the left." Raven nodded. "Jean, grab the keys from the guard on the right the moment he's down."

"Now!" Scott threw the empty metal flask across the corridor. The guards both turned away from the wall to see what it was. Scott and Raven immediately jumped the guards from behind. Raven put the guard on the right in a headlock until he passed out. Scott took out the second guard the old-fashioned way by smashing the man's head against the wall rendering him unconscious. Jean quickly grabbed the keys and made her way into the cell.

Scott and Raven followed close behind, dragging the two unconscious guards in with them so they wouldn't be easily spotted in the corridor. Inside the cell, two men and three women were each strapped on a gurney. They were in various degrees of consciousness.

Jean quickly went to the one most alert. He looked about in his early thirties. He was an Asian man of medium build. He was wearing a blue hospital gown. According to the files on the missing mutants, this was Wesley Cheng.

"Wesley, my name is Jean Grey. These are my friends, Scott and Raven. We're here to get you guys out. Can you walk on your own?" Jean asked, while Scott and Raven worked on taking the binds off the other captive mutants' hands and feet.

"Yes, ma'am," Wesley answered. "Although I can't speak for the others."

A young man in his early twenties with dark brown hair who Scott had assumed just a few moments ago wasn't awake, spoke up. "I can walk too, miss. They haven't done much with Wes and me as much as they have with the women. They're the ones in bad shape."

"What's your name, young man?" Raven asked.

"Edward Ambrose, miss," the man replied.

"What else can you tell us, Edward?" Scott asked.

"They've already killed one of us-"

"Selena Reyes… Yes, we know. Can you tell us anything about the men who took you guys captive?" Jean asked.

"They seem to be experimenting on us based on gender. They haven't done much with Wes and me since we got here other than take some blood samples. The women though… they're always returned either hurt, traumatized or unconscious. Claire over there hasn't regained consciousness since they brought her back last night," Edward said, looking at the brunette in her late twenties strapped to a gurney opposite him.

Wesley added, "And they always start their work early. They'll be coming back in about a couple of hours."

"Then we don't have time to waste," Jean said. "Are you two strong enough to help us get the women out of here?"

"Yes, ma'am," Wesley said, getting up from the gurney after Scott freed him from his binds. Scott, being the strongest out of all of them, grabbed the heaviest woman and put her over his shoulder. Wesley and Edward took the woman they called Claire and put each of her arms over their shoulder. Jean and Raven did the same with the last woman on the furthest gurney.

Soon, they were all heading for the docking bay. Scott spoke into his comm as they made their way through the narrow corridors. "Rachel, are you guys almost done? We've got the missing men and women and we're heading straight to the subs in the docking bay."

"Almost, Scott… There are so many disks and files here… We're a little overwhelmed," Rachel answered.

"Alright, but don't take too long, we want to get out of here as soon as possible. We had to knock out two guards to free these guys. I'm afraid when the next round of guards takes their place and realize something's wrong they'll sound the alarm," Scott said.

Jean asked, "Is Kurt up and about now?"

"Yeah, he's doing much better," Hank answered on his comm. "We'll join you guys in five."

They finally made it to the docking bay. As per the files, there were indeed four submersibles ready to be used. To Scott's relief, there were no guards in the bay. They must have thought that it was enough to guard the captive mutants' cell. Why would they need to guard the docking bay as well? Obviously, they didn't count on the X-Men throwing a wrench in their plans.

They got into the first submersible closest to them. They strapped the three unconscious women in first. Edward and Wesley then situated themselves in two other empty seats. When the freed mutants were strapped in, Scott turned to Jean and said, "Jean, I want you to pilot the sub up to the surface. We'll meet you in the designated area when the others join us."

"Like hell you will! I'm not leaving you!" Jean said, not giving an inch.

"I'm giving you an order, Jean! We're in the middle of a mission. Now's not the time to gainsay me," Scott said, regretting his harsh words when he saw the hurt in Jean's eyes.

But as he expected, she dug her heels even deeper. "You're not giving me that order as a leader… You're giving me that order as a husband."

Scott took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. There were times like these when he was tempted to strangle her! God help men with stubborn fiancées! But Scott had to admit, even just to himself, that Jean saw right through his "leader" act to the heart of the matter. He wanted her back to the surface immediately. He didn't want her life in danger another second than it had to be.

"Oh, for god's sake! I'll do it!" Raven said, hopping into the pilot seat of the submersible and sealing the hatch, effectively taking the decision away from Scott. Jean wasted no time and ran to the controls at the opposite end of the docking bay to have the hydraulics bring the sub into the water.

After a couple of minutes, much to Scott and Jean's relief, Raven was on her way up to the surface. Half their mission was complete. Their relief was short-lived however, when the alarm in the facility started blaring. Scott quickly got on his comm. "Rachel, Hank, Kurt, get over-"

But before Scott could finish his command, the three of them rounded the corner and joined them in the bay. "Way ahead of you, Scottie," Hank said.

"Looks like they've discovered we're here," Kurt said, referring to the loud alarm.

"They'll be here any second, let's get in the sub and get out of here!" Rachel yelled over the din.

But before the five of them could reach the nearest submersible, gunshots were fired their way. Kurt quickly jumped behind a pillar. Hank used one of the submersibles as cover. He quickly pulled out the Sig Sauer he had on him and began shooting back. Scott and Jean found cover behind a metal crate and helped Hank return fire. Rachel unfortunately, couldn't find cover fast enough and a bullet clipped her on her right shoulder.

"Rachel!" Jean screamed in horror as she saw the bullet exit her daughter. Scott quickly fired an accurate shot right between the eyes of the man who shot Rachel. Jean dropped her weapon and tried running towards Rachel who was essentially a sitting duck in the middle of the docking bay. But Scott was quick and grabbed Jean and pulled her back down next to him.

"Let me go! I have to get to her!" Jean screamed, fighting Scott's hold on her.

"I'll get her! You and Hank cover me," Scott said, shoving Jean's weapon back into her hands. Without waiting for her reply, Scott ran straight to Rachel, dodging several bullets, and dragged her back behind the crate where Jean was.

"Rachel! Are you alright?!" Jean asked, frantically searching the area where Rachel was shot.

"I'm fine, Jean! Went clean through my shoulder. It doesn't look like they got any main arteries… I'll be okay," Rachel said, wincing in pain.

Before Jean could answer, one of the personnel firing at them yelled at his colleague and said, "The whole operation's been compromised! Initiate self-destruct!"

The man he yelled at quickly ran towards the controls in the corner of the docking bay. "Self-destruct initiated," an automated voice announced from the intercoms. The CIA personnel all ran towards the submersibles, at the same time continuing to fire on the X-Men.

The men quickly escaped on two submersibles, leaving the X-Men in the docking bay. Scott wasn't quite sure what the self-destruct sequence was meant to do. Besides the alarm blaring in the background, nothing seemed to be happening.

That was until a deluge of water came crashing at them from all sides! At first, Scott thought the self-destruct was only meant to destroy all data evidence. But he was dead wrong. The self-destruct was causing the whole facility to cave in on them. They only had a matter of seconds.

"Quick, get in the sub!" Scott yelled, pointing to the last remaining submersible in the dock. Jean, Rachel, Hank and Kurt ran to the sub and quickly got in. Scott however ran in the opposite direction of the sub to the controls and initiated the hydraulics to get them out of the dock.

"Scott, hurry!" Jean screamed as the hatch started to close to prevent more water from getting in the sub. Scott ran as fast as he could towards the sub, dodging crates and dead bodies as best he could. Scott jumped in through the tiny opening just in the nick of time and fell right in Jean's arms.

"Thank God!" Jean said, hugging Scott.

"Way to cut it close, Scott," Hank said, breathing a sigh of relief. Rachel ran to Scott and hugged him with her uninjured arm, obviously relieved he made it.

Scott turned to Hank, a smile on his face. "Let's get outta here and call it a day!"

"You got it!" Hank said, pushing the joystick in his hand forward. But nothing happened. Everyone's euphoria subsided as they realized the engine wouldn't start.

"What is wrong, Hank?" Kurt asked.

"I don't know… the power is on… the computer is on. According to the computer the engine is operational, I don't know why it's not responding," Hank said.

"Do you think it was damaged in the firefight?" Jean asked.

"I don't know," Hank said. "Give me a moment… I'll try to figure it out." While Hank tried to fix the problem, Scott and Jean started bandaging Rachel's shoulder.

"You can't imagine how I felt when I saw that bullet go through you, Rachel," Jean said, fear still lacing her voice.

"Probably the same way I felt when I saw a bullet go through you… except that one pierced your lungs, not your shoulder," Rachel answered.

Scott saw Jean flinch, realizing that Rachel watched her future self die from a sniper rifle. "Sorry… I forgot," Jean whispered.

Rachel opened her mouth to answer, but was interrupted by Hank hitting the console in frustration. "God damn it!" Hank yelled.

"Uh oh… bad news?" Kurt asked.

"Bad news is an understatement," Hank said. "The computer, for whatever reason, can't communicate with the engine to get it going."

"So how do we fix it?" Scott asked.

"Well, the solution is rather simple… but I'm afraid, carrying it out is the challenging part," Hank answered. "You see, all the sub needs is a 'push' so to speak. Similar to the way we would start an old manual car back in the day. We'd push it, until the friction turns the engine and voila! A push-start."

"So, what you're saying is that the engine is working fine, we just can't get it to start," Rachel said.

"Yes, essentially," Hank answered.

"That's easy enough then. Jean or Rachel could just telekinetically get it going from the inside," Kurt said.

"Well, there's the problem you see… Upon inspection of the computer, I realized that not only was the research facility blanketed in the power dampener, but so are the submersibles. It looks like it was a safety precaution built in, in case the mutant captives tried escaping or taking control of the subs while being transported," Hank said.

"Hank's right… We're still powerless… I just tried moving that bag telekinetically just now and I couldn't," Jean said.

"Can't you turn it off?" Scott asked.

"Not without shutting down the whole system. And if I shut down the whole system, then the life support unit will shut down as well. It'll cause us all to suffocate on our own breaths in here, long before either Jean or Rachel can guide us to the surface," Hank said, dejectedly. "Also, if I shut down the system, then a push-start would be useless as the computer will be off."

"Well, what about if we wait for help to arrive? Raven's probably close to the surface by now, if we don't join her, she'll eventually send help down," Jean said.

"Umm… I think there's one little problem with that," Kurt said, pointing to the computer screen. "It says we only have thirty-six minutes of oxygen left. There's not enough time to wait for help, Jean."

"My God!" Jean gasped, covering her mouth. The read-out on the monitor showed thirty-six minutes and eleven seconds. It took them almost half an hour just to get down there!

"I guess, as our dear friend Peter would say, 'we're shit out of luck,'" Kurt said, in his heavy German accent.

Hank could only shake his head in disbelief at their predicament. To have come so far, so close, only for it to end this way. It was hard to accept.

The five of them were silent for several moments, contemplating the hopelessness of the situation. Scott looked around him. He felt like a complete failure as a leader… but worse, he felt like a complete failure as a husband and a father. He couldn't keep his loved ones safe. It was a failure he'd carry with him to his grave.

Rachel broke Scott out of his reverie. "There is _one_ option left to us."

"What's that, Rach?" Jean asked.

"This sub is equipped with a cargo ejector. It would allow one of us to exit the sub without flooding it. I can barely fit in it, but it'll do. Once outside and out of the influence of the power dampener, I can telekinetically push the sub and get it started," Rachel said, calmly.

Scott was speechless, as was everyone else it seemed.

"Are you out of your mind?! Absolutely not!" Jean said, shaking Rachel's shoulders, making her wince from the fresh bullet wound she was nursing.

"I'm with Jean on this, Rachel. That's suicide! The underwater pressure alone would probably kill you in a matter of seconds. There's no way I'm letting you do this!" Scott said, blocking the ejector hatch.

"I'll only need a matter of seconds… And I'm not asking for your permission," Rachel said, softly. "Please move out of my way."

"No. We'll figure something else out," Scott said sternly. "Now sit back down. That's an order, Rachel."

"My plan is sound, and you know it! You can't treat me like a child!"

"You're my child!" Scott yelled, his voice cracking with unshed tears. "You're mine… and Jean's… You're ours…"

Jean stepped closer. "It's my and Scott's job to protect you, not the other way around. I'll do it."

Scott grabbed Jean's arm. "No, Jean! I'll do it. My optic blasts should be strong enough to propel the sub forward, enough to get the engine working."

Hank interrupted their argument. "I'm sorry, Scott. Your optic blasts may be strong enough to push us, but what would you grip on to? The recoil of your blast would blow you past the sub. I don't see it working."

"Not to mention there's the other obstacle of you not fitting in the cargo ejector," Kurt added, which merely got him a glare from his leader.

"Well, I fit," Jean said. "And I'm going."

"You can't!" Rachel said, pushing Jean away from the ejector hatch. "Jean, I didn't travel twenty-seven years in time just so I can watch you die again before my eyes! If you do this, all of the pain and suffering and guilt I've endured will have been for nothing."

Jean looked Rachel fiercely in the eyes and through tears said, "I will not stand by while my daughter sacrifices her life so that I can live. I won't."

Rachel wiped the tears running down her mother's face and said, "You already died for me… Never again."

"I'm sorry, I'm not letting you," Jean said, not moving an inch.

"Have you forgotten, that if you die… then I'm as good as dead?" Rachel said, softly.

From the look on Jean's face, it was obvious she had. And so had Scott. The steely resolve they both showed just a moment ago, began to dissolve and was replaced by sheer anguish. Scott had never felt torment such as this, and he knew neither had Jean. To watch your own flesh and blood sacrifice herself because there was no other option… He wouldn't wish it on his worst enemy.

"I'm sorry my friends… but there's only twenty-nine minutes left," Kurt said, pain lacing his voice.

Rachel pulled Jean in her arms and held her like she would never let her go. "I love you, mom. You have no idea how much. What I'm about to do isn't a sacrifice. Nothing is a sacrifice when it's for your family… I learned that from you. You'll see me again, I promise."

"I love you, Rachel… You're my best friend… the best daughter… a mother could ask for. I'll miss you so much," Scott could barely make out Jean's words through her sobs.

Rachel reluctantly let go of Jean and turned to Scott. She put her hands to his face and gently lifted his glasses off. Scott's first instinct was to shut his eyes tight, but then remembered they had no powers within the confines of the sub. He slowly opened his eyes and saw Rachel through a blur of tears he hadn't even realized he'd shed.

Rachel stood on her toes, hugged Scott and whispered in his ear, "I love you, dad."

"I love you too, Rach," Scott managed to say through the lump in his throat.

"You have to let me go now," Rachel said. Scott hadn't realized he was still holding her tight. He never wanted to let go.

Unable to hold back tears of her own, Rachel turned to Kurt and Hank and said her goodbyes. She told them to give Peter and Ororo a hug from her. Then quickly, as if afraid her resolve might waver, she got in the ejector hatch and shut it behind her. She did not even look back.

Hank ran to the controls and blew open the ejector which freed Rachel from the sub. "God speed, meine freundin," Kurt whispered.

In a matter of seconds, they all felt the sub jerk and begin to quickly move. "She's doing it! The engine's on line!" Hank yelled.

Scott and Jean ran to the porthole to see Rachel. She had a look of pure determination on her face as she used all her energy to survive the absence of oxygen and the underwater pressure combined long enough to ensure everyone's survival. Scott and Jean watched her eventually lose the battle and convulse violently. The sight of her desperately fighting for air that didn't exist was too much to take. Jean screamed in anguish. And Scott could do nothing but hold her.

They watched in agony until they were too far, and the black depths of the water was all that was left to them.

 **To be continued…**


	17. Epilogue 1 & 2

**Epilogue 1**

 **Six Months Later; May 27th, 1991**

 **1407 Graymalkin Lane, Salem Center**

 **Westchester County, New York**

Jean had put off trying to clear Rachel's room for the past six months. The professor, understanding the extent of her grief, gave her plenty of time. For so many months she couldn't even bring herself to go inside… until now. Xavier's school was thriving, and enrollment was at an all time high. Summer classes would start soon, and she knew that Rachel's room was needed.

She turned the knob on the door and stepped inside. It was exactly as she remembered it from the last time she was there… It was the night Rachel had her nightmare. It hit Jean like a blow to the midsection not to see Rachel sitting by her window. She had so loved to look out over the mansion grounds. Jean's emotions threatened to overwhelm her, and she had to steady herself and sit down on the bed.

She thought back to everyone's reaction six months ago upon hearing of Rachel's fate. Raven had been waiting in their designated meeting area back up on the surface. Immediately upon recognizing that one of them was missing, and realizing who it was, Raven's eyes actually brimmed with tears. Out of all the X-Men, Raven was the one who held herself back the most. She was the one who treated those around her more like colleagues than family. But even she took Rachel's loss hard.

The return trip back to the mansion was the longest journey Jean had ever endured. The professor must have known what happened before they stepped through the door. It showed on his face. But he hadn't mentioned anything to Peter or Ororo. He left that unenviable task to the returning team.

Ororo reacted exactly as Jean imagined she would. She was devastated to lose a friend who had quickly become as close as a sister to her. She took a leave of absence for several weeks upon finding out the news. But it was Peter's reaction Jean couldn't forget. Upon finding out that Rachel died, he broke down and cried. And to Jean's surprise, Scott went to embrace his teammate and let him cry on his shoulder. In hindsight, she wondered if Peter's harmless flirting with Rachel was actually something more. The speedster may very well have harbored a tendre for her daughter.

Jean thought back to the memorial service for Rachel. It was there she truly realized the impact Rachel's had on everyone's lives in the mansion. The impact she's had on her and Scott's lives was without question, immeasurable… But to see her loss impact everyone else so profoundly touched Jean. Scott gave a moving eulogy for Rachel, both funny and heartfelt. He had to compose himself a couple of times, but he got through it admirably. She had never felt prouder of him. She had thought about saying something as well, but her grief was so raw at the time, she decided to let Scott speak for the both of them.

She thought back to Scott and how he remained a pillar of strength for her the last six months. She knew he suffered as well. She knew he carried the weight of Rachel's death with him. Being the field leader and losing someone under your command was hard enough. The fact it was his daughter he couldn't save just made his grief all the more unbearable.

But Scott and Jean clung to each other. They drew strength and comfort from one another. Only the two of them truly understood the other's grief and the experience brought them even closer together. Scott and Jean were supposed to have been married the previous April, but they had decided to postpone the wedding at least a year after Rachel's death. The pain of losing her was still fresh.

They never recovered her body. They had tried going back, but couldn't find her. A small part of Jean was relieved. It allowed her to remember Rachel as she wanted to. She and Scott purchased a family plot in a cemetery near by. There, they erected a headstone for Rachel. It read – Rachel Summers, beloved daughter and sister, cherished friend. Once met, never forgotten – February 5th, 1995 – December 24th, 1990.

Jean looked around Rachel's room wondering where to begin cleaning when she spotted a photo on her headboard. She remembered that day on the photo with crystal clarity. It had been taken the previous summer. It was outside the mansion. They had all been enjoying a barbecue right after finishing a fun game of softball. In the picture was Rachel, Scott and Jean standing by a picnic table, smiling at the camera. They all had food and drinks in their hands. Scott and Rachel's plates were stacked high with hot dogs, burgers and fries. Then there was Jean with half a burger and a garden salad. Jean laughed out loud at the memory.

"I think that's the first genuine laugh I've heard from you in six months." Jean looked up to see the love of her life standing at the door.

"I was looking at the photo of us on Rachel's headboard," Jean said, pointing to the picture. "I think the only person who could give you a run for your money in an eating contest was Rachel."

Scott walked inside the room and sat beside Jean. He put his arm around her and she gladly laid her head on his shoulder, welcoming his familiar comfort. "Yeah… she was something special. I miss her every day. But I'm glad to see you able to think about her and smile now," Scott said.

"Yeah, I lost that for a while… to think of Rachel… and not let grief overwhelm me. Time has helped some," Jean said.

"She brought so much laughter into our lives. She would want us to remember her with joy… not sorrow," Scott said. "Granted, I find it easier said than done."

"We'll get there, hon… together, we'll get there," Jean said, kissing Scott. "Anyway, what brings you up here? I thought you were helping Hank install that new hardware in the Danger Room?"

"I was… but then I sensed such sadness in you, I left Hank on his own to come find you," Scott said.

Shortly after Rachel died, Jean had established a psychic rapport with Scott. She brought up the idea to him and he immediately wanted to have it. They both felt it was a natural progression in their relationship. They found their psychic rapport to bring them comfort in the most trying of times.

Scott added, "Anyway, I'm not going to let you clean all this alone… not that there's much here anyway… why don't I start clearing off Rachel's desk and you can get started on her closet."

"Thanks, that sounds good," Jean said, as she got up and started sorting Rachel's clothes. There weren't many. She found she didn't have the heart to get rid of any of them. She and Rachel had been the same size anyway. She'd keep them. After a moment, her inventory was interrupted by Scott.

"Jean, come look. There's an envelope in Rachel's bottom desk drawer addressed to us," Scott said.

Jean walked over to Scott and hesitantly took the envelope. "What do you think it is?"

"Open it, and let's find out," Scott said, pulling Rachel's desk chair out for Jean to sit in. He stood looking over her shoulder. Jean pulled out the letter in the envelope and began reading silently, knowing her psychic rapport with Scott would allow him to read along with her.

 _**Dear Scott and Jean,_

 _I don't know why I'm writing this, because I really hope that this letter never gets to you. If it does, it probably means I'm dead. But I suppose the good news is that if you're reading this, then you most certainly are not. But the bad news is that this means I never had enough time to show you both how much I loved you. I wasted so much time hiding who I truly was. In hindsight, I wish I hadn't._

 _I couldn't have asked for better parents. You both have given me a life suffused with love, support and friendship. I have been lucky enough to see eye to eye with you both, and look up to you at the same time. Please never feel that I've had a hard life. I have had almost twenty-three wonderful years, and I'm grateful to you both for giving me that._

 _I am happy and at peace, knowing I leave you two together with long lives ahead for you both. Don't think of me with sadness in your hearts. Don't think of the things which might have been. Instead, think of all the things we've shared and seen. So, think of me now and again, but always with a smile in your hearts. And as a last gift to me, I ask that you love each other, fiercely and without reserve. Cherish each other always… in memory of me. Your loving daughter, Rachel Summers.**_

Jean hadn't realized she'd started crying until she saw the tear-stains on the letter she had in her hand. She felt Scott's arm around her and knew she was blessed. She saw an image of her daughter in her mind and smiled. Rachel's parting gift to her and Scott was a future with hope. She kissed the letter with trembling lips and clutched it close to her heart – where Rachel would forever reside.

 **Epilogue 2**

 **December 24th, 2017**

 **The Boathouse**

 **1407 Graymalkin Lane, Salem Center**

 **Westchester County, New York**

Loud music suddenly played, jolting her from sleep. She opened one eye, feeling annoyed she was woken up from such a deep slumber. She noticed patches of light were streaming through the curtains. The radio alarm clock continued to play that annoying Taylor Swift song that just grated on – Wait, what? Taylor Swift? What the hell?! Rachel shot up like a spring and tried focusing her bleary eyes. She felt so disoriented.

This wasn't her bedroom in the mansion. This was… her bedroom… at home. Suddenly, a rush of memories came flooding back, engulfing her. Memories of watching her mother die, her trip to 1989, rescuing her father, the fake bomb, the rescue mission in the Cayman Trough… her drowning. But those memories were tempered by seemingly new ones… memories in which she never went back to 1989 and died… She was so confused, a part of her wondered if she was under the influence of something.

But she _had_ died. She still remembered the pain she went through as she tried saving everyone on the sub at the cost of her own life. She remembered the burning pain in her lungs, the crushing weight of the water around her, the desperation she felt as she gasped nothing but cold, salt-water. And now? Where was she really?

She slowly got up out of bed. She noticed she was in her favorite pyjamas. She looked around the room, it was exactly as she remembered it. A part of her felt like she hadn't been in there for over a year, but another part of her remembered falling asleep in it the night before. What was happening to her?

Rachel opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. She could smell fresh pancakes wafting up at her; the smell was coming from the kitchen. She took a few more steps when a blur of a body brushed past her singing, "Last one down to breakfast does the dishes!"

What the hell? Nathan?! Rachel wasn't sure if she was dreaming. She continued her way to the kitchen and what she saw stopped her in her tracks. It was her father. He was drinking his morning coffee, a newspaper in his hand. He must have felt her eyes on him because he looked up, smiled and said, "Sweetheart, your mother and I were starting to think you were going to sleep the day away. It's already ten o'clock."

Rachel could only blink several times. It was Scott… but it wasn't Scott as she last saw him… This one had grays on his temples. The lines around his mouth were more pronounced. His morning stubble also had dustings of gray. This was her father as she remembered him – before her mother died.

"Honey, why are you just standing there staring at your father? Your breakfast is getting cold." Rachel looked to the left where the sweet voice came from and couldn't believe her eyes. She felt her heart stop. The image she never thought to see again left her staggered. Rachel covered her mouth and choked back a sob. It was really her! Not the Jean who was her age, but her mother!

There were now streaks of gray in her fiery red tresses. And there were more pronounced laugh lines around her eyes… She was as beautiful as she remembered her.

Her mother, obviously having noticed her distress, quickly put down the jug of orange juice she was holding and rushed towards her, her father close behind her. Nathan just stared at all three of them, a look of confusion in his eyes.

Through tears, Rachel stared at Jean and whispered, almost reverently, "You're alive."

Scott and Jean looked at each other confused. "I did it… I saved you!" Rachel managed to make out through her tears.

"What are you talking about, Rach?" her father asked, his expression suggesting he worried about her mental health.

"I woke up this morning… and the last thing I remember was drowning… But I did it, didn't I?" Rachel touched her mother on the shoulder, wanting to ensure she was really there. "I was able to prevent your death… And I was able to hang on long enough to propel the sub forward and start its engine and -"

Jean gasped, a look of shock on her face. "My God! How could you know about that? We never told you about that mission."

"But I was _on_ that mission! In the Cayman Trough," Rachel said.

She proceeded to tell Scott and Jean everything she remembered. She recalled to them in detail everything she went through back in the past. From finding herself naked that first night on the school grounds, to that night Scott was abducted, to how Jean found out she was her daughter, to that night they rescued the Senator and the fake bomb, all the way to the end when Rachel apparently drowned.

Jean was crying by the time Rachel wound down her story. "Is it really you, Rachel?"

Scott added, "How is that possible? We watched you die!"

"I don't know… but I remember two sets of lives… like two dreams melding together." Rachel turned to Jean, "I remember you dying and me going back to 1989 to prevent it… but I also remember that you never died. I remember a past in which we were never captured by the FOH… It's like I've lived two separate lives simultaneously… Hell, I remember all four of us eating at Red Lobster just last night! But at the same time, it also feels like the last thing I did was drown back in the Cayman Trough twenty-seven years ago!"

"Dear God, it's remarkable, but I still don't understand how that's possible," Scott said.

"I don't care how it's possible, you didn't die, Rachel!" her mother said, hugging her. "You have no idea the enormous hole you left in our hearts when we lost you. And although your birth years later did much to heal our hearts… A part of your father and I died when we thought you did."

"I can only imagine your grief… In many ways, it seems just like yesterday for me… but you've lived with my loss for the last twenty-seven years. I'm so sorry," Rachel said.

"You wrote us a letter, Rach… shortly before you died… What made you do that?" her father asked.

"You found my letter? Good… I wrote that… do you remember, mom, the night I had that terrible nightmare? A part of me had wondered if it was a premonition. In my nightmare, I was drowning. It felt so real. I wrote the letter, just in case…" Rachel said.

"And knowing our next mission was underwater you still decided to come… why?" Scott asked.

"If you and mom were going… then of course I was going to go too. And as it turned out, it was a good thing, because if either of you had died, then I wouldn't be here now," Rachel answered.

Their conversation was interrupted when Nathan chimed in, "What the hell are you all talking about?"

"Language, young man," Scott said, looking sternly at her brother. Rachel had to stifle a giggle.

"Anyway, I think I may have a theory on why I'm still alive. You see, time is a delicate thing… I think me waking up here now, with both sets of memories from the two timelines in tact, is the universe's way of correcting the ripple I've caused by going so far back to 1989. It's the universe's way of correcting the paradox I must have caused by tampering with history. It's merged my consciousness from the two timelines."

"You think so?" her dad asked.

"Yes. I noticed today's date is exactly twenty-seven years ago, from the time I supposedly died. I don't think that's a coincidence. Anyway, I'll have to talk to the man named Bishop who helped send me to the past to see if he has any theories… but then again, he wouldn't even know who I am in this new timeline I've created… Perhaps Uncle Hank might have an idea," Rachel said.

"It's possible that while you were alive in 1989, the past and the future you came from continued to co-exist simultaneously. But when you died, everything you've done in the past took hold and became history. And for everyone else, it became the only history we know. And now that you're back, the only person who remembers the alternate future you came from is you," her father theorized. "But it's still a mystery how your consciousness survived."

Rachel started heading for the door. "I'm going to find Uncle Hank and see if he has any theories."

"That can wait, Rachel," Jean said, pulling her daughter back and holding her.

"Your mother's right, Rach," Scott said, embracing his wife and daughter. Nathan, probably feeling left out in the reunion that seemed so confusing to him, joined in as well, causing everyone to laugh at the young man's bewilderment.

"We'll explain everything to you, Nate… The whole story… trust me, it's quite a doozy," Rachel said, laughing. "Anyway, it's good to be home. I never thought I'd see you guys again. The memories from my trip to the past is all beginning to feel like a distant dream now."

"You're home now, Rachel. I know it was quite the journey for all of us… But we're all where we're supposed to be," Jean said, she and Scott holding their two children close. "And it's all thanks to you, Rach. The life we have now is the gift your courage bought us."

"Your mother is right. We'd do well to remember the cost of our happiness, and to not take a moment for granted," Scott said.

"Trust me, dad… After everything we've been through… Everything _I've_ been through… I'd never take another second for granted again… I love you, guys."

"We love you too, sweetheart," her mother said.

After quite some time of just holding each other, Rachel pulled away from her parents and made her way to the breakfast table. She absently started eating her pancakes while she perused and tried parsing her old memories from her new ones. It was becoming difficult to tell which memories were from her old timeline and which were from her new one. Her mother must have noticed her look of intense concentration because she asked, "What's the matter, sweetheart?"

"Umm… I just realized… I don't remember having what's-her-face for my seventh-grade English teacher in my new memories… She was the young, tall blonde who -"

"Yeah… she never got past the interview stage," her father said, an amused smile on his face as he looked at his wife. "Your mother made sure she was in charge of all the faculty hiring the year you turned twelve."

Rachel was silent for a moment absorbing that bit of info. Then she burst out laughing.

 **The End**

 **Thanks very much for reading, everyone! I debated long and hard about the ending. I was really going to end it after the "6 months later" epilogue… but it just didn't sit right with me and at the end of the day, I wanted a feel-good story and a happy ending for Scott and Jean (Lord knows, they'll never get it in the comic books).**

 **And yes, the blonde teacher reference was a dig at Emma Frost. Obviously, I couldn't name her in the story because the movie universe used Emma Frost in First Class which would make her around thirty plus years older than Scott. That being said, I'm not a fan of the character to say the least. What happened between Scott and Emma in the comic books was just so out of character for Scott that I honestly just ignore it. Grant Morrison had an agenda, and it didn't matter to him how badly he tarnished the characters and their history. And add to that, he didn't know what to do with Jean Grey, so he killed her off… beyond lazy. I'm sure he just got Scott and Jean's backstory from Wikipedia before taking on writing duties. Okay, enough of that rant.**

 **Anyway, the ending of my fic was inspired by the films Days of Future Past and Frequency. That's where I got the idea of having Rachel's consciousness merge from two timelines. I personally believe that time travel is impossible, but if it was in fact possible, I don't think Rachel could have actually fixed her mother's death. The temporal paradox would not allow it… the most that could happen would be that Rachel would just create an alternate universe, but the original one she came from would remain unchanged. But that's the fun of fan fiction… I can do whatever I want to suit the ending I want. Well… thanks to everyone who's left feedback. It's food for the writer's soul.**


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